Several outlets reported on the Senate’s passage of legislation to address the opioid epidemic. Colby Itkowitz writes in the Washington Post (9/17) that the Senate “overwhelmingly” passed a package of bills aimed at the nation’s opioid epidemic Monday by a 99 to 1 vote. The package includes 70 bills covering $8.4 billion in funding for programs across multiple agencies. The legislation requires the US Postal Service to screen packages from overseas, typically China, for synthetic opioids and provides greater access to treatment.
The Wall Street Journal (9/17, Andrews, Subscription Publication) reports Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) was the only senator to vote against the legislation. The package provides funding to the National Institutes of Health to research a nonaddictive painkiller. Another provision clarifies that the FDA has the authority to require prescriptions for opioids to be packaged in set amounts, such as three or seven days.
The AP (9/17, Fram) reports the package creates “new federal grants for treatment centers, training emergency workers and research on prevention methods.” The House passed its own package earlier this summer.
Related Links:
— “Senate passes sweeping opioids package, “Colby Itkowitz, The Washington Post, September 17, 2018.