U.S. House and Senate leaders involved in opioid conferees have scheduled a meeting to discuss the legislative text for the S. 524 conference report, titled the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016.
Meanwhile, support has continued to rise for the draft legislative text, which was circulated yesterday. As of Thursday, the text had received 115 supporters from leading recovery advocacy groups in the U.S.
The effort for the final package has been led by the Addiction Policy Forum.
“There is an urgency to our work as drug overdose deaths surge in Michigan and beyond,” Chairman Fred Upton said. “Make no mistake -- every single community is on the front lines in this fight.”
Supportive groups include Addiction Policy Forum, Faces and Voices of Recovery, Alkermes Inc. and A New PATH.
“The report is truly a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic, which includes critical policy changes and new resources,” Upton said. “Only through a comprehensive response can we reverse current trends and provide individuals and families impacted by addiction with the services they need. As you know, 129 Americans die each day as a result of drug overdose and this epidemic affects the public health and safety in every community across the country. This bill is the critical response we need.”
