WASHINGTON – Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) praised the Senate’s passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) conference report Wednesday, focusing on the work that has been done to address the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic in Wisconsin and noting continued support for bipartisan legislation as a necessary next step in a life-and-death fight. He said this:

“As I travel around Wisconsin, public safety officials consistently tell me the biggest problem they’re dealing with in their communities is drug abuse. They cite the crime and the trail of broken lives and families that addiction leaves in its wake. This week, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel stated regarding the consideration of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act: ‘CARA will be a huge asset to the fight against the deadly epidemic that’s already under way in Wisconsin.’ I agree.

“In the 18 hearings on border security that my committee has held, we have heard over and over that a leading cause of the insecurity of our southern border is driven by America’s insatiable demand for drugs. At a field hearing that I held in Pewaukee, Wis., specifically on the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic, we heard from Lauri Badura of Oconomowoc. She testified that in 2014, 47,000 people perished in this nation due to drug addiction — and that her son, Archie, was part of that senseless, terrible toll. Lauri lamented the lack of outrage and attention being paid to this killer.

“These tragedies are why I introduced the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act as an amendment to CARA and why I am glad its provisions are being implemented by the administration. They are why I have spent more than a year using the committee I chair to investigate the harm inflicted on veterans by the overprescription of opioids in the health system that is supposed to be taking care of them. And they are why I cosponsored the bipartisan Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act introduced by Sen. Baldwin, now included as part of CARA.

“We have only begun to grapple with this incredibly complex problem. This bill is an important bipartisan step that will expand resources and tools available to states and communities for prevention and treatment. It will build upon bipartisan efforts in Wisconsin. I am pleased to see this bill pass and urge President Obama to move quickly on it and my colleagues to continue supporting legislation that protects the finest among us in this deadly fight against drug abuse.”