[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 75 (Thursday, May 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H2293-H2294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HEROIN AND OPIOIDS DAMAGING COMMUNITIES

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, 78 Americans die every day from an opioid 
overdose in this country. This trend is not an isolated problem. It is 
an epidemic that now outpaces deaths from motor vehicle accidents and 
is found in every geographic region across the country, from small farm 
towns, like in my district, to New York City.
  Statistics we have been hearing reveal a troubling reality. Addiction 
does not discriminate. It impacts the young, old, poor, rich, male, 
female, and it ruins the lives of all those involved.
  The package of bipartisan bills on the floor this week include two 
important elements. They ensure Federal dollars are allocated to the 
most effective programs and methods to reduce drug abuse while also 
providing doctors, law enforcement, and treatment facilities the better 
tools they need to combat this growing epidemic. These are solutions 
Americans in all walks of life need right now.

[[Page H2294]]

  Just last month, for example, Sacramento saw 10 people lose their 
lives in just 12 days from pills laced with fentanyl, a highly potent 
opioid, as well as in my own rural district, the continued push of 
heroin into the area especially as a higher value substitute for 
cartels as marijuana becomes more and more legal.
  We can and must do better. I encourage my colleagues from both sides 
to continue to act quickly so we can advance these solutions to the 
President's desk and effectively tackle this crisis.

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