Following a new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report on the increase in fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths in Ohio, Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) – who crafted bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate to address the drug epidemic in Ohio and around the country – issued the following statement:
“This CDC report clearly shows that the drug abuse and overdose death epidemic in our country is getting worse, not better. The news that 11 more people died from overdoses over a recent five-day span in Cleveland is yet another indication that we cannot wait. This report confirms that fentanyl is a significant factor in the spike in heroin related overdose deaths. This is consistent with what we have heard from medical examiners, health officials, and law enforcement in Ohio. About five Ohioans will die from an overdose today, and that’s why the Senate acted with urgency to pass my CARA legislation in an overwhelming bipartisan vote. I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to act on my bipartisan legislation, and to do so expeditiously.”
