An Ohio senator introduces two bills focusing on a side effect of the pandemic.
Senator Rob Portman is getting bipartisan support for the FIGHT Fentanyl Act which will help charge criminals who have been trafficking the deadly synthetic drug. He is also gaining support for the TREATS act, which will expand telehealth services for those battling addiction by waiving restrictions that require in-person treatment. Portman says drug overdoses and deaths were on a downward trend before the pandemic. But over this past year, they have spiked.
"We need to do everything we can to keep try to people from getting into the funnel of addiction in the first place, and if they get in, then get them help they need. So, they can achieve their God-given potential in life and not fall into a rut of addiction," says Sen. Portman. "More and more evidence is that is what is exactly happening right now during the pandemic. So, as we come out of the pandemic, which I believe we will in the next several months here, we got to be sure that we are coming out of this addiction crisis."
Ohio is on track to have a record year for overdose deaths for 2020, but the final total will not be known for a couple of months when county coroners finalize their reports.
