Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, at this time, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood). Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this measure. As a former State and Federal prosecutor who has been in charge of prosecuting narcotics cases, I have seen firsthand the devastating effect that opioid and heroin addiction has had. This nationwide opioid and heroin epidemic stretches home into my district in central and west central Illinois. Seventy-eight people die from heroin or opioid overdoses each day. That has quadrupled since 1999. Now it is the leading cause of death, far surpassing deaths by motor vehicle accidents. Just last week I hosted a series of roundtable forums across my district to personally hear from law enforcement officers, medical professionals, treatment providers, local government officials, and those who have lost loved ones due to overdose. They shared with me the reality of the situation back home. Law enforcement has had to double its on-hand stock of Narcan, and expand training for police officers when it comes to these overdoses. Heroin is now the primary abused substance in drug court programs like the one in Springfield, Illinois, but those programs are at capacity. Treatment centers have waitlists over 40 days. The consensus is clear. This is a public health crisis. To end it, we need to do a number of things. Update medical best practices for coping with pain.…”