The US Senate have passed a bipartisan bill aimed at combatting the opioid crisis through new research, treatment and help for families suffering from the effects of the opioid addiction epidemic that has swept through the United States in recent years.
The bill, which was passed with a 99-1 vote, includes more than 70 provisions aimed at curbing the deadly opioid crisis. Senator Mike Lee, a libertarian leaning Republican representative for Utah, was the only Senator to oppose the bill.
Significantly, the bill would channel money towards research into non-addictive painkillers while also introducing measures to prevent synthetic opioids from being imported into the United States illegally.
Senate Health Committee Chairman, Lamar Alexander (Republican,Tennesse) commented: “This legislation represents the work of over 70 senators, five committees, and countless staff who have worked together to help put an end to the opioid epidemic ravaging virtually every American community."