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The opioid crisis has gotten much, much worse despite Congress’ efforts to stop it (www.politico.com)

submitted 1 year ago by deconstruct@lemm.ee to c/politics@lemmy.world

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America’s drug overdose crisis is out of control. Washington, despite a bipartisan desire to combat it, is finding its addiction-fighting programs are failing.

In 2018, Republicans, Democrats and then-President Donald Trump united around legislation that threw $20 billion into treatment, prevention and recovery. But five years later, the SUPPORT Act has lapsed and the number of Americans dying from overdoses has grown more than 60 percent, driven by illicit fentanyl. The battle has turned into a slog.

Even though 105,000 Americans died last year, Congress is showing little urgency about reupping the law since it expired on Sept. 30. That’s not because of partisan division, but a realization that there are no quick fixes a new law could bring to bear.

Aiming to expand access to treatment, Congress in December eliminated the waiver and training requirements physicians needed to prescribe buprenorphine, which helps patients stop taking fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Administration recently extended eased pandemic rules for prescribing it via telemedicine through the end of 2024.

A bipartisan group of representatives focused on mental health and substance use has proposed more than 70 bills this Congress to fight the overdose crisis, but none of them has inspired the kind of urgency lawmakers showed five years ago when they packaged bills into one landmark package: the SUPPORT Act.

The law’s expiration on Oct. 1 means states are no longer required to cover all of the FDA-approved treatments for opioid use disorder through Medicaid but public health advocates don’t expect any state to drop that coverage.

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[-] Nudding@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Anybody deemed mentally sound should have the option of a safe and painless suicide. Or is it only okay to kill people when they are guilty of a crime?

[-] bl4ckblooc@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

You are widely missing ehe point. It shouldn’t be an option if the only reason is ‘rent is to high for my government benefits’. That’s an absolute failure by the government

[-] kandoh@reddthat.com 1 points 1 year ago

Good thing that's not a real option.

[-] Nudding@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

That isn't happening. Get fucked you little bitch and go back to Facebook

[-] bl4ckblooc@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

You can’t even come up with something yourself? So your arrogant AND stupid, I thought so.

this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2023

144 points (96.8% liked)

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