U.S. House of Representatives passes bills to fight opioid abuse

The first order of business for the House of Representatives, following an extended district work period, aimed at tackling the growing opioid epidemic across the country.

Congressman Brad Wenstrup points to the pair of bipartisan bills that passed the House to tackle the growing problem in Ohio. The state has experienced a 350-percent increase in opioid overdose deaths from 2002 to 2013 according to the Ohio Department of Health and a 750-percent increase in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) cases from 2004 to 2013, where a newborn suffers withdrawal effects after being exposed to addictive drugs while in the mother’s womb.
 
“Across the Second District, our communities are joining together to combat this opioid epidemic,” Wenstrup said. “We’ve seen success in fighting prescription abuse, and now must redouble our efforts to stop the growing heroin problem that is reaching into every part of our Ohio cities and towns. This legislation that overwhelmingly passed the House would provide federal help to ensure our states have more tools at their disposal.”
 

Aimed at combating NAS, the Protecting Our Infants Act would require a report and recommendations on the most effective efforts to help children born with withdrawal symptoms and prevent new cases. Additionally, Health and Human Services would further coordinate federal efforts to assist states in fighting the health epidemic.
 
The House passed additional legislation, the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reposting Act (NASPER), to continue to successfully combat prescription drug abuse and overprescription. Ohio’s program, OARRS, is a past recipient of a NASPER grant. Wenstrup previously worked to strengthen the OARRS program by successfully pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs to fully participate in the Ohio system.