ASHP is pleased to see the bipartisan approach taken by Congress to combat opioid abuse and urges the legislative body to take the next step and provide the $1.1 billion in funding proposed in the President’s budget released earlier this year. In response to the growing opioid abuse epidemic, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a host of bills aimed at combating the opioid abuse and addiction problem plaguing the country. The bills fell short of providing the funding requested by the White House.
 
It is clear that opioid abuse impacts everyone, Republicans and Democrats alike, and ASHP is grateful the House has joined the Senate in passing legislation to address this epidemic. We remain hopeful that Congress will also ensure that these efforts are properly funded to bring about meaningful change,“It is clear that opioid abuse impacts everyone, Republicans and Democrats alike, and ASHP is grateful the House has joined the Senate in passing legislation to address this epidemic. We remain hopeful that Congress will also ensure that these efforts are properly funded to bring about meaningful change,” said ASHP Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of the Office of Policy, Planning and Communications Kasey Thompson, Pharm.D., M.S., M.B.A. “The President’s budget included a proposal to provide $1.1 billion in funding to address opioid abuse, and we urge Congress to include the necessary funds to address this epidemic.”
 
This week, the House passed a total of 12 bills dealing with opioid abuse, including legislation to expand treatment options, make the overdose-reversal agent naloxone more easily available, and institute the creation of an interagency task force to develop best practices for opioid prescribing and pain management. With passage of these bills, the House joins the Senate, which passed its opioid abuse bill (S. 524) in March. The stage is now set for a conference committee to resolve the differences between the two bill packages for final passage.  


About ASHP


ASHP represents pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in acute and ambulatory settings. The organization’s more than 43,000 members include pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. For over 70 years, ASHP has been at the forefront of efforts to improve medication use and enhance patient safety. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists advance healthcare, visit ASHP’s website, www.ashp.org, or its consumer website, www.safemedication.com.

13 May 2016