{"id":17379,"date":"2016-03-03T10:10:30","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T15:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=17379"},"modified":"2017-02-13T11:33:44","modified_gmt":"2017-02-13T16:33:44","slug":"schumer-gillibrand-push-for-increased-federal-support-in-fight-against-heroin-opioid-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/schumer-gillibrand-push-for-increased-federal-support-in-fight-against-heroin-opioid-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Schumer, Gillibrand Push for Increased Federal Support in Fight Against Heroin, Opioid Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"U.S.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

WASHINGTON – New York\u2019s two representatives in the U.S. Senate both took time out on Wednesday to address to growing heroin<\/strong> and opioid<\/strong> epidemic that continues to affect communities across upstate new York, including here Chautauqua County.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Senator Charles Schumer<\/strong> can out in support of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015<\/strong>, or CARA, which recently passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n

Schumer called the bill a critical first step in the fight against heroin and opioids, expanding the availability of naloxone<\/strong> – also known as narcan <\/strong>– to law enforcement and first responders, improving prescription drug monitoring programs, shifting resources to identifying and treating incarcerated people suffering from addiction, and prohibiting the Department of Education from questioning students about prior drug convictions on financial aid forms.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Meanwhile, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand<\/strong> delivered a speech on the Senate floor urging Congress to pass her bipartisan legislation to help combat the opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n

Senators Gillibrand and Shelley Moore Capito<\/strong> (R-WV) introduced the Preventing Overprescribing for Pain Act<\/a><\/strong> as an amendment to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.<\/p>\n

While addressing the senate, Gillibrand said the opioid addiction problem in the country is continuing to grow and congress needs to act.<\/p>\n

“Last year alone, in communities all across the country, including many in New York, 1,400,000 more Americans started abusing opioids, and every day, 44 more people are killed by an overdose,” Gillibrand said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen enough data to know that our opioid addiction problem is spiraling out of control. Opioid addiction is destroying too many lives in our cities, too many families in our rural communities, and too many young men and women in our suburbs.”
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