Debbie Dingell: “I rise in support of H.R. 2634, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act. I want to acknowledge the leadership and effort on…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2634, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act. I want to acknowledge the leadership and effort on this issue that has been put forth by my good friend and colleague from the other body, Senator Carl Levin. His longstanding interest and acknowledged expertise in the development of effective treatments for drug addiction have been important influences in my deliberations on this matter. I thank him. Indeed, the language before us contains a number of changes to the bill reported out of the Commerce Committee. These changes reflect provisions adopted and passed by the Senate and represent improvements in the bill. Mr. Speaker, none of us should leave here thinking that we have done as much as we should to tackle the scourge of drug addiction in this country. Statistics on heroin addiction alone show that interdiction is not completely effective. The advent of narcotic treatments such as buprenorphine are important tools in the panoply of strategies to meet and defeat the drug addiction problem. The bill before us is a modest measure and I challenge us to do more, much more, before we adjourn this session. Mr. Speaker, my colleague and good friend, Representative Capps has introduced legislation to reauthorize programs administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). I urge swift action on this bill.”