U.S. Senate expected to vote on opioid package

The U.S. Senate is likely to vote during the week of Sept. 10 on an opioids package aimed at turning the tide on an epidemic that killed nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. in 2017 alone.

Ohio Republican Rob Portman has several initiatives included in the package.

“I am pleased that the Senate has agreed to vote on a comprehensive opioids package to help turn the tide of this epidemic,” Portman said in a statement. “This crisis affects every state in our country, and this legislation’s unanimous passage is an encouraging example of putting partisanship aside to achieve meaningful results for our constituents. There are a number of ways to combat this opioid epidemic, and this legislation will help our communities combat addiction in new and powerful ways.”

Among the Portman initiatives included in the package is the Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act. That bill is aimed at quelling the flow of synthetic opioids like fentanyl into the U.S. from foreign countries. A majority of fentanyl into the U.S. comes from China. Fentanyl and its analogues are a major contributor the significant rise in overdose deaths over the past

few years.

Earlier this year, the Portman-chaired Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations completed an 18-month investigation into how easy it is to buy fentanyl online.

According to the report, the sellers preferred to ship purchases through the international arm of the U.S. Postal Service. They also preferred to get paid through cryptocurrency, Bitcoin in particular, but Western Union, PayPal, bank transfers, credit cards, and prepaid gift cards were also accepted. The Chinese sellers shipped purchases through other countries to reduce the risk of the drugs being detected and seized by customs officials.

The report was critical of the U.S Postal Service and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for failing to recognize and prepare for the increase in international shipments.

Portman says the STOP Act would close the loophole that has allowed this to happen by holding the U.S. Postal Service to the same screening standard as private mail carriers and requiring them to provide Advance Electronic Data on international packages entering the U.S. He added this would allow law enforcement to identify suspicious packages, stop them in transit, test them, and keep more fentanyl from entering communities.

In August, President Donald Trump tweeted his support of the STOP Act.

“It is outrageous that Poisonous Synthetic Heroin Fentanyl comes pouring into the U.S. Postal System from China,” Trump wrote. “We can, and must, END THIS NOW! The Senate should pass the STOP ACT - and firmly STOP this poison from killing our children and destroying our country. No more delay!”

Other Portman-backed provisions in the package include establishing national recovery housing standards, supporting recovery support programs for high school and college students struggling with addiction, and authorizing $60 million for a plan of safe care for babies born dependent on substances.

The Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act is also part of the package. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is also a sponsor of that legislation. According to Brown’s Office, it would allow Medicaid to cover certain health care services provided to infants in residential pediatric recovery facilities in addition to hospitals and also clarify that babies receiving services in residential pediatric recovery centers can continue to receive services after one year of age, and provide for activities to encourage caregiver-infant bonding.

“With the right care, newborns suffering from addiction have every shot of growing up and leading a healthy life. But treating these babies in the hospital is expensive and can be overwhelming for families,” Brown said in a statement. “We must ensure that Ohio moms and babies have access to residential treatment facilities that specialize in giving them the specific kind of care they need and at a lower cost to taxpayers.”

Portman said that the Ohio Department of Health estimates that 84 babies are being treated for drug withdrawal every day in the state’s hospitals.

According to the Washington Post, the opioid package had stalled over Democratic objections to a grant program they said was written too narrowly to benefit only one addiction advocacy group, the Addiction Policy Form. The organization is closely connected to PhRMA and Democrats wanted the language broadened to cover more groups. Don Stewart, chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, told the Washington Post that the Democratic holds have been lifted.