Larson Lobbies for Emergency Funding to Combat Opioid Epidemic

Press Release

Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) traveled to Atlanta to attend the 5th Annual National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit. With opioid and heroin addiction on the rise across the country and in Connecticut, the Summit will feature discussions on community responses to heroin use, alternatives to incarceration, and use of prescription drugs among youth. Larson will also speak directly with federal agencies and national partners--including the National Institute of Health (NIH), Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy--about the need for emergency funding in Connecticut to address the opioid and heroin epidemic.

"Heroin and opioid addiction take a devastating toll on families and communities," said Larson. "No one seeking help for their addiction should ever be turned away, but right now there are very real barriers to treatment. Connecticut needs help now to ensure our communities have the resources they need to help those struggling with this disease."

In February, Larson signed on to a proposal authored by Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) to allocate an additional $600 million in emergency funding to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic. Larson is also a cosponsor of the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act (CARA), which would develop the best methods for healthcare providers to prescribe pain medications, assist law enforcement with training in the use of naloxone, improve current treatment centers, and provide funds to build additional facilities for those seeking treatment for their addiction--especially veterans and pregnant women.

For more information on the actions Larson has taken to address the heroin and opioid epidemic, visit: http://larson.house.gov/index.php/uncategorised/2094-fighting-the-heroin-and-opioid-epidemic.

Source