Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) participated in a roundtable discussion with the Lucas County Health Department Opiate Coalition – a multi-sector coalition that meets to discuss strategies, interventions, prevention and policies to help combat the effects of the opioid epidemic – where the group discussed Lucas County’s efforts to combat the epidemic in their community and how Congress can better help in those efforts.
Senator Portman has been a leader in Congress in combating the nation’s drug addiction crisis – as part of his efforts to help Ohio, Portman has worked to help curb the influx of synthetic drugs like fentanyl, expand access to treatment programs that are so critical to an effective recovery, and secure funding for his evidenced-based Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA) programs, focused on prevention, treatment, recovery, and first responders. Last March, he introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 3.0 to increase the funding authorization levels for the CARA programs enacted in 2016 and put in place additional policy reforms to help combat the opioid epidemic that has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I had a constructive meeting with the Lucas County Health Department Opiate Coalition today to learn more about the essential work they are doing in this community to combat this addiction epidemic,” said Senator Portman. “While serving In Congress, I have made it a top priority of mine to combat our nation’s addiction crisis. Prior to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had made real progress in combating this epidemic thanks to the bipartisan CARA legislation I coauthored. Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in overdose deaths over the past several years in part because of the pandemic so we must redouble our efforts. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to make sure that community leaders, first responders, and family members here in Lucas County have the funding and support they need to continue their work fighting this epidemic.”
In response to CDC data showing that from April 2020 to April 2021 drug overdose deaths in the United States rose to a record more than 100,000, with fentanyl accounting for well over half that number, Senator Portman took to the Senate floor to lay out a comprehensive strategy for the federal government to help address both factors driving this heartbreaking surge. He called for added security at the border, closer cooperation with the international community, and better enforcement of his bipartisan STOP Act law to help disrupt the supply of lethal substances, and for the passage of his bipartisan CARA 3.0 legislation to reduce demand by doubling down on proven treatment and recovery options, while also funding greater investments in research, education, prevention, and criminal justice support to help turn the tide of addiction.
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