TILLIS: “As I travel across North Carolina and meet with constituents, I repeatedly hear stories of how opioid addiction has taken a personal toll on families and communities. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act takes a big step in the right direction by providing grants to substance abuse agencies, local governments, and non-profit organizations in areas of North Carolina and the rest of the nation that are being hit the hardest by opioid abuse.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) voted in favor of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which passed the Senate in a 94-1 vote. Senator Tillis is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan legislation.

“Opioid addiction can affect nearly anyone in any part of our country, and it’s having devastating consequences on our cities, suburbs, and rural communities,” said Senator Tillis. “As I travel across North Carolina and meet with constituents, I repeatedly hear stories of how opioid addiction has taken a personal toll on families and communities. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act takes a big step in the right direction by providing grants to substance abuse agencies, local governments, and non-profit organizations in areas of North Carolina and the rest of the nation that are being hit the hardest by opioid abuse. I am happy the Senate could come together to pass this important legislation.”

In 2014, 1,358 North Carolinians died from drug overdoses, more than the number who died from automobile accidents. A 2012 CDC report showed that in North Carolina, there were 97 painkiller prescriptions written per 100 people. The CDC has also concluded that people are 40 times more likely to be addicted to heroin if they are addicted to prescription painkillers.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act brings together the experiences and recommendations of drug addiction experts, law enforcement, health care providers, first responders, and the patient community most affected by the opioid epidemic. The legislation also addresses the strain the addiction crisis places on our criminal justice system by providing more resources to identify and treat incarcerated Americans, helping put them on the path to recovery, which in turn could lower the nation’s recidivism and crime rates.

Senator Tillis previously wrote an op-ed about the opioid epidemic and spoke on the Senate floor in support of the CARA legislation.

READ SENATOR TILLIS’ OP-ED HERE.

WATCH SENATOR TILLIS’ FLOOR SPEECH HERE.

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