The bill passed 99-1 with Senator Mike Lee giving the only vote against the legislation.

The bill would alter Medicaid and Medicare programs as part of implementing 70 provisions to address opioid use.

Other provisions address establishing measures to curtail shipments of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, funding research into non-addictive painkillers, and requirements for the Food and Drug Administration to allot smaller amounts of prescription opioid pills.

The nation is attempting to address the opioid epidemic that has escalated in recent years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated [data] that 72,000 Americans in 2017 died from overdose. Last week the Arizona Attorney General filed an action against Purdue Pharma for deceptive and misleading marketing practices to sell opioids. The Department of Justice also announced an amendment the Federal Register to provide the Drug Enforcement Administration with more control in the addressing the crisis.
(Publoshed by Jurist, September 18, 2018)