Opioid Addiction Bills to be Considered This Week in U.S. House

The U.S. House is scheduled this week to vote on 18 bills designed to combat opioid addiction. The measures are expected to be approved, The New York Times reports.

The measures cover a wide range of issues. One would make it easier for physicians to treat patients addicted to opioids, while another would offer greater protections for veterans and children affected by opioid addiction. The bills would give law enforcement greater authority in fighting drug trafficking, and would require the federal government to conduct studies to evaluate the country’s capacity to treat opioid addiction.

One of the measures would require a study of Good Samaritan laws that are designed to protect people from liability if they use overdose reversal drugs to help people addicted to opioids.

If the bills are approved, they will be packaged together, and will need to be reconciled with the Senate’s Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which passed in March.

The Senate measure authorizes funds for various drug treatment and prevention programs for a wide range of people, including those in jail.

CARA expands prescription drug take-back programs and establishes monitoring to prevent over-prescribing of opioid painkillers. It would expand the availability of medication-assisted treatment, including in criminal justice settings, and would support treatment as an alternative to incarceration. The measure also calls for training and equipping first responders on the use of the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone.

The Washington Post reports negotiations with the Senate in reconciling the House bills are expected to be tricky. Democrats are pushing for $600 million in emergency financing to fight opioid addiction.

The House version focuses more on drug trafficking, and gives state and local governments more leeway in decisions about how to use federal grants.