Second Chances of Johnson City Praises Federal Legislation to Combat Opioid Epidemic

Second Chances of Johnson City, a national leader in addiction treatment and rehabilitation, applauds House and Senate leaders for reaching an agreement on legislation that would address the national opioid crisis and the larger addiction epidemic in America.

With overdose deaths involving prescription opioids rising to five times higher in 2016 than in 1999, it has never been more pertinent to increase prevention, support research around disease of addiction and provide education of drug awareness at an early age.

The legislation, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (HR 6), overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate and will now be sent to the President's desk for his signature. This bill will boost access to addiction treatment and employ many other interventions to mitigate the epidemic, such as combating overprescription and increasing law enforcement efforts against illicit drugs.

"It's encouraging that Congress is paying more attention to addiction because it has never been more important to provide patients struggling with substance abuse issues with quality treatment options," said Second Chances of Johnson City. "We hope this is just the beginning of an industry-wide collaborative approach to ensure patients seeking help can get it. We also support smart regulation to end unethical marketing practices in the industry to protect patients looking for treatment online."