Herring praises federal investment in fight against heroin, opioid abuse

Attorney General Mark R. Herring praised the $1 billion the United States will invest in addressing the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic through passage of the 21st Century Cures Act.

“Just this week I had a meeting at the McShin Foundation with people in recovery and families who have been touched by this epidemic, and I heard loud and clear that it is still too difficult to get the timely treatment that’s required to address an addiction and that treatment remains too expensive for many Virginians. This federal investment could be the lifeline that so many Virginia families are seeking as they confront substance abuse disorder.

“Education, prevention, treatment, and recovery resources must all be priorities in this fight. That’s the approach we’ve taken in Virginia, combining education and prevention with stepped up prosecutions against dealers and traffickers, all while working to connect Virginians with the support they need and remove the stigma surrounding addiction and substance abuse. This has been a real bipartisan priority and it’s so encouraging to see similar bipartisan support at the federal level. I really appreciate the support of our Virginia delegation in making this investment a reality, and I know it will make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of Virginians.”

Attorney General Herring has made combating the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic a top priority, attacking the problem with a multifaceted approach that includes education, prevention, and legislation to encourage reporting of overdoses in progress, expand the availability of naloxone, and expand access to the Prescription Monitoring Program. He has created www.HardestHitVA.com as a central resource for prevention, education, and treatment resources, and expanded the OAG’s enforcement efforts against dealers and traffickers, working with state and federal partners to prosecute more than 58 heroin/opioid cases involving more than 400 pounds of heroin which is approximately 500,000 daily doses with an estimated street value of $12.8 million.

He has supported federal efforts to improve the availability of treatment and recovery resources, partnered with U.S. Attorney Dana Boente to create the Hampton Roads Heroin Working Group to develop holistic, community-driven solutions to the heroin and opioid crisis, and made prescription drug disposal kits available across the Commonwealth.