Given that the crisis in the U.S. of opiate abuse has soared to epidemic heights, it is encouraging that Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill united in a rare show of bipartisanship this month to adopt a multi-pronged comprehensive package of assistance to stem its deadly tide.

About four months ago, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and others introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act in response to the heroin scourge rocketing out of control in the Buckeye State and the nation.

The praiseworthy legislation creates grants and other programs aimed at addressing opiate abuse, especially heroin. It contains more resources for long-term addiction treatment, prevention and education, alternative sentencing options, drug courts, expanded availability of the overdose antidote naloxone and for development of new and stricter guidelines for prescribing opiates…

We’d prefer to view the measure as a serious starting point for heightened federal assistance to lessen the scope of the heroin plague that is destroying lives in record numbers across the Mahoning Valley and throughout the U.S.A.

As such, priority No. 1 for federal lawmakers when they return in September must be to put the CARA on the fast funding track. Then, they should earnestly work – as many have promised – to shore up additional resources for fighting the war on heroin in the fiscal year 2017 federal budget, which takes effect in October…

 

The (Youngstown) Vindicator