The State Targeted Response (STR) grants were created through the 21st Century Cures Act, which Klobuchar supported; This is the second round of funding made available by the legislation.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced that Minnesota received $5,379,349 in State Targeted Response (STR) grants for 2018 to combat the opioid epidemic. STR grants—funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—were established through the 21st Century Cures Act, which Klobuchar supported. In total, HHS is awarding $485 million in grants to all 50 states to treat and prevent addiction. This funding will be used in Minnesota to increase access to treatment, reduce unmet treatment needs, and prevent addiction through prevention programs.
“The opioid epidemic is hurting communities across Minnesota—none have been immune to its devastating effects,” Klobuchar said. “This funding will increase our state’s commitment to proven prevention strategies and expand access to treatment for those suffering from addiction.”
As a former Hennepin County Attorney, Klobuchar has long led local and national efforts to curb drug abuse and help people overcome addiction. In February, Klobuchar and Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 2.0 Act. The bill will increase the funding authorization levels for the CARA programs enacted in 2016 and put in place additional policy reforms to help combat the opioid epidemic.
To build on the monumental first step of CARA, Klobuchar introduced the Prescription Drug Monitoring Act, which would require the use of strong prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) in all states that receive certain federal funding to combat opioid abuse and also requires states to make their PDMP data available to other states.
Last year, she and ten other senators introduced the Budgeting for Opioid Addiction Treatment (LifeBOAT) Act, which would establish a reliable funding stream to provide and expand access to substance abuse treatment. She and a bipartisan group of senators also introduced the Synthetic Abuse and Labeling of Toxic Substances (SALTS) Act. The SALTS Act would make it easier to prosecute the sale of “analogue” drugs, which are synthetic substances that are substantially similar to illegal drugs.
Last year, Klobuchar and Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced the bipartisan Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act to help stop dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil from being shipped through our borders to drug traffickers in the United States.
In September 2014, the DEA implemented Klobuchar’s bipartisan Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act. Under the legislation, consumers are provided with more safe and responsible ways to dispose of unused prescription medications and controlled substances.
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