By Eric Stock

WASHINGTON – The growing opioid crisis takes center stage in Washington this week as the U.S. House is expected to consider a series of measures aimed at drug abuse treatment and prevention.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, said he wants to see a multi-faceted approach.

“How we allocate resources, how we reign in the overprescription of opioids,” LaHood said. “We have to do something about this. It’s out of control.”

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act which passed in the Senate in March sets aside about $80 million to address the heroin problem, while the House could be looking to add to that total.

There’s still plenty of debate of how much of that money will specifically given to treatment, prevention and recovery programs and how much will simply be left to state and local governments to decide.

“I think everybody agrees this is resources that are going to save us tax money in the long run by preventing people from going to prison or causing collateral damage to their own families and their own community,” LaHood said.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].