LANSING (WKZO-AM) — Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has signed his name to a letter urging Congress to pass legislation that would address a growing heroin and opioid addiction problem nationwide.
Schuette was one of 38 attorneys general to sign the letter.
Numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans between ages 25 and 64, surpassing auto accidents for the first time.
More than 100 Americans die daily from overdoses, the CDC said.
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015 is currently stalled in a U.S. House subcommittee.
Just as Schuette issued his press release, Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters issued a news release they had secured $1.5 million in federal funding to crack down on heroin distribution and trafficking in Michigan. The money help the Michigan State Police work with local drug enforcement agencies to target heroin and prescription opioids.
Michigan was one of six states to get grants this year.
– John McNeill
