Our lawmakers don’t agree on much,but they do agree on needing to give more funds to fighting the US painkiller epidemic now that its hit white peopleIn an act of extraordinary bipartisanship, the Senate appropriations committee approved nearly doubling funding to fight the opioid epidemic on Thursday, or clearing the way for a full Senate vote. The legislative branch is notable for how polarized it has become during the Obama administration,but Republicans and Democrats arrive together on opioid abuse prevention and treatment in a way that they haven’t for other issues arguably of equal importance, like Zika or the cancer moonshot. Congress passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (Cara) this spring by an overwhelming majority and, and final fall,under the looming threat of HIV and hepatitis outbreaks fueled by injection drug abuse, lawmakers repealed the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs. Related: Addictions are harder to kick when you're destitute. Here's why | Maia Szalavitz Related: What opioid hysteria leaves out: most overdoses involve a mix of drugs | Chelsea Carmona Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com