Fighting the U.S. Fentanyl Crisis Calls for Bipartisan Action

Capitol Hill lawmakers eager to tackle Fentanyl crisis, but split on solutions.

Photo by Burak Tüylek on Unsplash

In the past few years, the United States has witnessed a sharp rise in fentanyl overdoses, a crisis that has prompted lawmakers from both parties to urgently seek solutions. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), deaths involving synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, surged by over 800% from 2013 to 2019, highlighting the gravity of the issue.

However, despite a shared concern to address the devastating crisis, there are stark differences in ideas on how to tackle it, as partisan divides come to the fore.

Democratic proposals to combat the drug crisis and related issues revolve around a range of solutions. Democrats emphasize the expansion of access to evidence-based addiction treatment and recovery services. This entails increased funding for treatment programs, ensuring insurance coverage for substance use disorder treatment, and the integration of mental health and addiction services.

Moreover, Democrats actively support harm reduction approaches to mitigate the negative consequences of drug use. They advocate for needle exchange programs, widespread distribution of naloxone to prevent overdose deaths, and the establishment of supervised…