[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 15825]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 SURGEON GENERAL'S REPORT ON ADDICTION

  (Mr. QUIGLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Surgeon 
General's new report titled ``Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon 
General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health.''
  In 2015, over 27 million Americans reported current use of illicit 
drugs or misuse of prescription drugs. That means that more people use 
prescription opioids than use tobacco, and there are more people 
struggling with substance abuse disorders than people with cancer.
  Substance abuse, misuse, and substance use disorders cost the U.S. 
more than $442 billion annually in crime, health care, and lost 
productivity--almost twice as high as the costs associated with 
diabetes. We in Congress have a responsibility to utilize this report 
and mobilize around its deeply scientific and evidence-based findings 
to find the best policy solutions that affect all of our constituents 
in districts across the country.
  Addiction does not discriminate. It affects Americans from every walk 
of life, regardless of race, class, gender, religion, or geographic 
location. Now is the time to face the addiction crisis head on.

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