Opioids Bill Approved by Senate To Address Addiction Crisis

The Senate passed an extensive anti-addiction bill aimed at fighting the US opioid crisis with prevention, treatment and recovery options. The bill is yet to be funded, however. The bill is in response to a deadly opioid overdose epidemic bill that has been sweeping across the US. Known as Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (Cara), the bill passed the Senate 92-2 on Wednesday. The passing marked a strong show of bipartisanship. Cara calls for a pain management taskforce, funding into addiction research, better access to treatment options and drug rehabilitation rather than incarceration. Ohio’s Republican Senator Rob Portman , one of the authors of the bill, said “This is a historic moment, the first time in decades that Congress has passed comprehensive addiction legislation, and the first time Congress has ever supported long-term addiction recovery."