Congress moves forward with opioid legislation

Last week, both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation as part of an effort to address the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic.

Main elements of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) include:

• Setting up a new federal task force to update best practices for pain management.
• Establishing a program at the Department of Justice to fund substance abuse programs in the states.

Throughout the process, the AOA has worked to ensure that non-pharmacological approaches, like OMT, are considered in the development of improved pain management strategies.

Read a statement from AOA President John W. Becher, DO, for his thoughts on the passing of the CARA legislation.