On March 10, 2016, the U.S. Senate voted 94-1 to approve the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (S. 524). If also passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, this legislation will authorize federal grants to states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to prevent and treat opioid abuse.
S.524 will expand the availability of naloxone to law enforcement and other first responders, create treatment programs as alternatives to incarceration, expand prevention and awareness efforts, require the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to create and expand disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications, and authorize the DOJ to award grants to state law enforcement agencies to help them investigate illicit drug activities.