Mitch Perry
In an attempt to staunch the heroin epidemic, Sarasota-area U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan said Friday he’s co-sponsoring legislation aimed at curbing the flow of drugs into the U.S. while intensifying education, prevention and treatment programs.
In thepast decade, heroin abuse has skyrocketed in the U.S. The rate of heroin-related overdose deaths increased 286 percent between 2002 and 2013.
“Drug addiction is a growing crisis that destroys families and lives every day here in Florida,” Buchanan said in a prepared statement. “It requires a serious and comprehensive solution.”
The “Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act” (H.R. 953) and the “STOP ABUSE Act” (H.R. 3719) attempt to attack the supply of drugs, preventing new victims through better education and helping those already addicted recover and lead productive lives. The $1.8 billion cost of these bills would be offset by spending cuts in other parts of the federal budget.
The number of heroin overdose deaths in Florida increased nine-fold, from 48 to 447, from 2010-2014, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission.
The legislation includes funding for state, local, and non-profit drug education efforts for teens and seniors; provides grants for treatment and prevention to states, nonprofits, and municipalities; establishes a federal task force to develop best practices for pain medication; creates new veterans-specific drug treatment courts and reauthorizes High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Grants. The program coordinates federal, state and local law enforcement anti-drug trafficking efforts in specific, high-risk counties
Buchanan says that the growing heroin addiction problem has touched too many people, overwhelming emergency room and law enforcement agencies.
“We can’t turn a blind eye to this emergency as we lose more of our loved ones and heroin continues to flood our ports and the Southern border. It’s clear Congress must take swift action to counter this public health crisis.”
