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Sen. Schumer Seeks $600 Million More In Heroin Fight

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is seeking $600 million in additional resources to deal with the drug crisis in Westchester County. 

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is seeking $600 million for the war on heroin and opioid abuse.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is seeking $600 million for the war on heroin and opioid abuse.

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“The opioid and heroin abuse crisis in Westchester and the Hudson Valley is a symptom of this national emergency, and we need to fight back now," said Schumer. "And that means Congress needs to put its money where its mouth is and support the prevention, treatment and law enforcement steps needs to turn the tide against this scourge." 

Drug overdose-related deaths increased by 117 percent between 2010 and 2013 in Westchester County. 

There were 152 reports of opiate misuse among students in Westchester County during the 2014-15 academic year, according to a January 2016 report from lohud,com. 

Schumer said that a recently-passed Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015 will assist in the drug epidemic, but he is seeking additional resources to aid communities such as Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015 calls for the expansion of naloxone availability, improved prescription drug monitoring programs, shifted resources towards treating incarcerated people for addiction and the prohibition of the Department of Education from including questions about drug convictions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The bill authorizes the attorney general to award grants to address prescription opioid abuse and heroin use but does not appropriate additional funding.

A bill by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) would provide additional resources for treatment, prevention and emergency first responders.

Shaheen's Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, is co-sponsored by Schumer and allocates $600 million to specific programs at the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services for local governments. 

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