All eyes will be on Congress as they weigh President Obama’s request for $1.1 billion in funding to address the heroin and opioid epidemic that has claimed almost 29,000 US lives in 20124 alone, more than lives lost in motor vehicle accidents.
Of the new funding, 92o million would be earmarked for “for mandatory funding over two years for states to increase medication-assisted treatment, which also involves therapy, for people with opioid use disorders.” (The Hill, Peter Sullivan, February 2, 2016).
Currently, the proposal appears to have wide bipartisan support. Both red and blue states suffer from the immense consequences of the health problem.
Here are two articles about the proposal:
Gardiner Harris at the New York Times
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