This Opioid Bill Is Great, Except For One Big Thing
It will do a number of good things, and any bipartisanship is a miracle, but what's really needed is a whole lot more money.
A costly crisis.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
When it comes to the problem of opioid addiction, it can almost be argued that any action to stem abuse is good. America has a legitimate and growing public-health, law-enforcement, and humanitarian crisis on its hands.
From that perspective, the bipartisan bill that’s set to be signed into law on Wednesday afternoon by President Donald Trump is a genuinely excellent development. It does a number of good things. For example, it will authorize the creation of new recovery centers for addicts, get the life-saving, overdose-reversing medication naloxone in more hands, and put in place measures intended to limit opioid overprescription. Just about every part of the bill is a positive policy shift and a good-faith effort at combating the crisis.