Senator Lankford Applauds Senate Passage of Bill to Fight Drug Addiction

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today voted for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which passed by a vote of 94 to 1, and made the following statement: 

“Oklahomans sadly know too well the continued problems we face with heroin and prescription drug abuse. Oklahoma suffers from high rates of drug addiction and because of our central location, our highway system is attractive to global drug cartels. Since 2000, the national rate of deaths from drug overdoses has increased 137 percent, and there’s been a 200 percent increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids.

“The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act is the first of many steps to focus our nation on programs to combat overdoses, support law enforcement and expand access to rehabilitation treatment. We must also continue to prioritize eradication in Mexico and interdiction at our southern border. You cannot address recovery and addiction unless you address the problem with easy and cheap access to the drugs. We need to increase our national emphasis on interdiction as a major part of our strategy to end the abuse of heroin and illegal prescription drugs in the U.S.”

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