Portman highlights drug prevention, recovery efforts in Weekly Republican Address

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) highlighted how the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) would address the nation’s drug epidemic during the Weekly Republican Address on Friday.

Portman said that CARA would foster better partnerships between federal, state and local entities that seek to prevent addiction and to advance proven recovery programs.

“It starts by recognizing that addiction is a disease — and must be treated that way,” Portman said. “By helping end the stigma that has surrounded addiction for too long, we can encourage more people to come forward and get the treatment that they need.”

Federal investment in opioid programs will increase by $181 million per year under CARA, Portman said, with the investments targeting programs that have a successful track record.

“CARA improves prevention by expanding educational efforts, including a new national awareness campaign about the link between prescription painkillers and heroin, fentanyl and other drugs,” Portman said. “It expands treatment, including giving prescribing authority to nurse practitioners and physician assistants for medication-assisted treatment. It expands drug courts. It increases the availability and training for a miracle drug called naloxone, or Narcan, that can actually reverse a drug overdose instantly. And CARA is the first federal law to support long-term recovery.”

More than 250 groups that work in public health, law enforcement, criminal justice and drug policy have endorsed CARA.

“But our work here is not over,” Portman said. “Through CARA, Congress has decided to spend significantly more taxpayer dollars to address the epidemic and changed how the money is spent so it is more effective. Now we need to fight for this every year in the annual spending bills. I welcome the White House’s engagement and support in that effort.”