The Synthetic Abuse and Labeling of Toxic Substances (SALTS) Act, Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, and Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act passed the Senate today as part of a larger piece of bipartisan legislation to address the opioid epidemic

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced today that three of her bipartisan bills to combat the opioid epidemic have passed the Senate as part of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act and now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The Synthetic Abuse and Labeling of Toxic Substances (SALTS) Act, which Klobuchar introduced with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), would make it easier to prosecute the sale and distribution of “analogue” drugs, which are synthetic substances that are substantially similar to illegal drugs. The Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, which Klobuchar introduced with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) would help stop dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil from being shipped through our borders to drug traffickers here in the United States. The Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, which Klobuchar introduced with Marco Rubio, would help crack down on health care facilities or providers that try to game the system to take advantage of vulnerable patients.

“Every day, families across Minnesota and the country lose loved ones to the opioid epidemic,” Klobuchar said. “Signing this bill will help more families access the treatment and recovery services they need and put in place proven strategies to prevent addiction in the first place.”

As the 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 Portman, Whitehouse (D-RI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 2.0 Act. The bill would 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 also 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 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.

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