Congress plans to spend $4 billion on the opioid crisis, according to a long-term spending deal released Wednesday night.
The figure is higher than the $6 billion spread out over two years that the Senate recently shared with reporters, but lower than the $13 billion the White House had said it would be requesting.
The bill specifically includes $732.9 million for research on opioid addiction, development of opioids alternatives, pain management and addiction treatment. The spending is a 215 percent increase over last year’s funding level.
The money is aimed at treatment, prevention, and law enforcement efforts to roll back drug overdose deaths. Those deaths surpassed 42,000 in 2016 and lowered life expectancy in the U.S.
It’s possible that additional funding will come later. The House is working on a broader package to tackle the opioid epidemic that it hopes to pass by Memorial Day.
