President Obama to Sign Compromise Opioid Bill

Congress sent President Barack Obama a compromise bill Wednesday to address the abuse of heroin and opioids, and the White House said Obama would sign the bill.

Senate voted for the bill 92-2, the Associated Press reports. The bill creates grants and other programs to address drug abuse, especially heroin and opioids.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2014, over 25,000 people died from prescription drug overdose, and over 17,000 people died from illicit drug overdose.

“While the President will sign this bill once it reaches his desk because some action is better than none, he won’t stop fighting to secure the resources this public health crisis demands,” the White House said in a statement. “Congressional Republicans have not done their jobs until they provide the funding for treatment that communities need to combat this epidemic.”

The President will continue to press Republicans to respond to the drug abuse crisis, the White House said.

[Associated Press]