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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) commented today after the U.S. Senate cleared the last remaining procedural hurdle to passing the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act (CARA), which addresses the national epidemic of prescription opioid drug abuse and heroin use. The legislation, which Rubio co-sponsored, is expected to pass the Senate later today and be signed into law.‎
 
“One of the hardest situations to deal with in life is addiction, and I unfortunately have met countless families over the years who have lost loved ones to the heroin and opioid epidemic that is gripping our country,” said Rubio. “Fortunately, I’ve also met countless people who have overcome their opiate addictions and offer us hope that with the proper support, treatments and strategies, we can overcome this disease and save even more people and families.
 
“We have a major opioid addiction problem in Florida and throughout our nation, and this legislation is an important step to addressing this health crisis that is taking lives and destroying families,” added Rubio. “In addition to dealing with this issue domestically, we cannot ignore that a big driver of this problem is heroin coming from Mexico and fentanyl coming in from both Mexico and China. We need to confront this problem’s international roots and ensure that the U.S. government is pushing on this issue with the involved countries on a high-level and regular basis.”
 
In May, Rubio met with Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs in Orlando, Florida to discuss the heroin epidemic sweeping through Central Florida. Later that month, Rubio chaired a western hemisphere subcommittee hearing on the international roots of America’s heroin problem.