Political Quotes

“Madam President, today I rise to introduce the Peer Support Services Center of Excellence Act, a bipartisan bill that I have authored to help combat the vast and growing opioid epidemic. I want to acknowledge and thank Senator Shaheen for her leadership on this effort, and I look forward to continuing to work with her and others on this important legislation. Last year in Maine, 716 people died from a drug overdose--a record number. Tragically, this was the third consecutive year that Maine set a record for fatal overdoses. Nationwide, nearly 110,000 Americans were lost in 2022 to overdoses. It is clear that we need to take an all-of- the-above approach to tackle this crisis. This includes support for education and prevention, treatment, law enforcement, and border security. No single focus will be enough on its own. One ongoing challenge to reducing the number of overdose deaths is that far too often individuals suffer an addiction relapse. Indeed, a nonfatal overdose is a leading predictor for a future fatal overdose. We must do more to address this reality. Between 40 and 60 percent of individuals in treatment for substance use disorders relapse, and this rate is often much higher for those struggling with opioid addiction. Relapse rates are high, but that does not mean relapse is inevitable. One way that individuals struggling with addiction are finding support is through peer recovery groups.…”