Political Quotes

“It is a pleasure to follow my friend from Pennsylvania, acknowledging his hard work in the mental health sphere. I do think that this is setting the platform for the most significant initiative in the next half century. There are some good things in this bill, but I hope it is just the beginning. I know the gentleman has a number of other initiatives that he is working on in a bipartisan way, and I am hopeful that this Bill serves as a springboard. On a personal note, the Garrett Smith Suicide Prevention Act, was created by our former colleague, Senator Gordon Smith from Oregon, who took a personal tragedy in his family and moved forward with important legislation that other families may be spared by that effort. There are a number of things here that matter in another context. In terms of what happens dealing with the opioid crisis that we have now, America has been too slow to respond. I am hopeful that these resources will help us move in the right direction. Again, I must, I suppose, note with a certain amount of irony that there are other alternatives available to deal with the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths. I would note that it is interesting that States that actually utilize medical marijuana prescribe fewer pills. There is an opportunity here for us to do something that is less expensive, less addictive, and not deadly. But the provisions in this bill, I think, are a step in the right direction.…”