President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he would propose $1.1 billion in new funding to increase treatment access to opioid and heroin addicts nationwide. The money would be used to improve access to medication-assisted treatment and treatment providers, as well to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs.
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New data released by the Centers for Disease Control showed 28,648 deaths in 2014 related to prescription medication or heroin overdoses.
While lawmakers appeared poised to approve new funding in the coming year to tackle the problem, it is unclear whether they will accept the administration’s proposal or push for a different strategy. Sen. The majority of the money would go toward working with states to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction, according to the proposal.
Tonda DaRe, an OH mother whose 21-year-old daughter, Holly, died after an accidental heroin overdose, testified on Capitol Hill last week during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about the drug epidemic and legislation to address it. She started the group Holly’s Song of Hope, which is dedicated to changing the stigma of addiction.
The president’s proposal calls for a two-sided approach to combating the drug epidemic. “It has significant support from both sides of the aisle, as well as from doctors, nurses, first responders, those in recovery, and other experts in the field”.
“Doing so will help deliver the necessary tools and resources to those who are fighting this crisis every day and, ultimately, save lives”, he said. States will receive funds based on the “severity of the epidemic and on the strength of their strategy to respond to it”, according to a statement from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and Obama’s office.
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And while the epidemic has expanded dramatically under Obama’s watch, Botticelli said the administration’s work had begun to show signs of success in some areas. “Our law enforcement community and public health experts across the state have made it clear that we can not arrest our way out of this crisis, and I am encouraged by the President’s recognition that states need additional support from our federal partners to support prevention, treatment and recovery programs”.
