U.S. House Weighs Legislation to Fight Heroin Addiction
May 11, 2016
By: Sabrina Eaton, The Plain Dealer
May 11, 2016
As opioid overdose deaths ravage the nation, the House of Representatives is set to pass 18 pieces of legislation intended to fight the epidemic.
Among other things, the proposals would make it easier for emergency responders to access overdose reversal drugs like Naloxone, establish a task force to modify how pain medication is prescribed, and reduce the amount of painkillers given to patients by letting them partly fill opioid prescriptions.
The Senate adopted its own bill two months ago. After the House passes its package, the two chambers will form a conference committee to hammer out differences.
Critics of the House legislation say it lacks a critical component of the Senate-passed measure: an initiative to develop, expand and enhance treatment services.
"I'm hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the House soon – but that agreement must be comprehensive," said an opinion piece written by Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman, who authored the Senate bill. "Once we do that, then we can begin to turn the tide in the fight against this national epidemic."
House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, said the goal is to promptly bring a bill to President Obama's desk.
"This is about saving lives," he said.
Democrats say they back the GOP measures to fight addiction, but warn that Congress must include money to pay for the fight. Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan noted that Obama's budget proposal included more than $1 billion to address the problem.
"Send it to the President with funding immediately," said Toledo Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. "People's lives and local community stability and safety are waiting for our action."
Since 2007, drug overdoses have eclipsed car crashes as the leading cause of death in Ohio, Kaptur's office said. In 2015, there were 280 traffic fatalities, versus 2,744 lives lost to heroin and prescription pain relievers.
In Cuyahoga County, overdose deaths have risen from epidemic to tsunami levels over the past three years, says William M. Denihan, CEO of the county's Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board.
Increased use of prescription painkillers for legitimate medical problems has made addiction more widespread, says Denihan; those addicted to prescription medication often switch to heroin.
More spots are needed in drug treatment programs to keep addicts from dying while they wait for care and more "long-term sober bed" programs are needed to help former addicts adjust their lifestyles so they don't relapse, Denihan says.
"Addicts, for the most part, have been living that way for a long time," said a 33-year-old former heroin addict named Nicole, who currently works in a Cleveland drug treatment facility and did not want her last name to be used. "You can't just take the drugs out of them and expect them to know how to live their lives."