DPA worked with Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) on landmark legislation introduced today to help states prevent drug overdose deaths. Overdose prevention has been thrust into the national spotlight by a spate of overdose deaths in the last several months caused by a mixture of fentanyl, a powerful narcotic, and heroin.

The legislation would create a federal grant program to provide states with funding to reduce drug overdoses. Currently, there is no federal funding for overdose prevention, despite the fact that overdoses are largely preventable and existing prevention strategies have had proven success.

Cities around the country, including Albuquerque, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco, have successfully employed a variety of public health measures that have significantly reduced overdoses and saved people's lives. These measures range from increasing the availability of naloxone, a drug that can stop opiate overdose, to targeting overdose prevention education to high-risk populations.

At the state level, there are few comprehensive overdose prevention programs, largely due to fiscal constraints. Sen. Durbin's bill, known as the Drug Overdose Reduction Act, would not only make federal money available for state programs, but would also require the Center for Disease Control to develop a comprehensive plan for reducing overdose deaths. This plan would include an assessment of the obstacles faced by states and federal public health officials seeking to implement effective overdose prevention strategies.

DPA applauds Sen. Durbin for his attention to this urgent public health need. "Many policymakers have been sitting on their hands while people lose their loved ones to drug overdose, but Sen. Durbin has taken decisive action to save lives," said Bill Piper, DPA's director of national affairs. "Congress has the responsibility to pass legislation that will empower local communities to reduce overdose deaths and save thousands of lives."