Crawford bill a bid to cut opioid deaths

With opioid overdoses claiming tens of thousands of lives each year, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford says more must be done to combat the problem.

The Republican from Jonesboro is co-sponsoring the Addiction Recovery for Rural Communities Act, which would shift federal resources to help address the problem.

The bill would “set aside 20 percent of the [U.S. Department of Agriculture’s] Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program grant funding for substance abuse treatment. It would also prioritize USDA Community and Facilities Direct Loan and Grant applications focused on substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery services. … Finally, it will prioritize USDA Rural Health and Safety Education grant funding for applicants seeking to improve education and outreach on opioids and other substance abuse issues,” Crawford announced in a news release.

The legislation would help “ensure that folks in small towns have access to the health care, education and tools they need to combat the drug abuse and overdoses that are devastating too many of our families and communities,” it said.

Drug overdoses claimed more than 50,000 American lives in 2015. For Americans under the age of 50, drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death, Crawford’s release noted.

An article in the American Journal of Public Health called opioid abuse “a rapidly escalating public health problem” and said it is hitting rural America hardest.