Political Quotes

“Like many of my colleagues, I am concerned by the great opioid epidemic that is sweeping our Nation. Every day more than 78 Americans die from opioid overdoses--78 Americans. Think about that. That is more than three every hour. Nearly 2 million Americans are addicted to or abuse opiate-based painkillers. Unfortunately and, frankly, very sadly, my home State of Utah is all too familiar with these statistics, as we are fifth in the Nation in the most opioid-related deaths. These drug addictions are destroying opportunities and are devastating families and communities all across the country. We simply must take steps to help alleviate this suffering. I am proud to be supporting a number of bills that the House will be debating and voting on this week to combat opioid abuse, legislation that will lead to updated best practices for prescribers of pain medication, legislation that will improve drug abuse programs, and legislation that will give States and local communities more flexibility to attack this problem and the problems that are unique to those communities. I urge support from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and am pleased to see that there is bipartisan support of these much-needed reforms. ____________________”