Portman and Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire joined Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota to gain Senate approval of the bill which is aimed at curbing the addiction of both illegal heroin and legal opioids, which are prescription drugs such as Percocet and OxyContin.
—-
—-
Portman has made his work on the bill a major feature of his re-election campaign.
The National Institutes of Health reports that as many as 2 million Americans are addicted to opioids and heroin, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 28,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2014.
During the first Gulf War against Iraq in 1991, McCaffrey commanded the 24th mechanized infantry division as it swept across the Iraqi border in a major American victory.
After leaving the Army, he served from 1996 to 2001 as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Clinton administration.
While Congress has approved the bill authorizing the anti-drug program, lawmakers still need to approve a separate spending bill – known as an appropriation measure – to finance the drug law
About the Author