Is CARA merely a thought balloon?
- Rod Rushing
- Jul 22, 2020
- 3 min read
This is a Call-Up to wake the frock up. We’ve been living in a dream world for too long.
The big news in treatment and recovery world this month is the passage of CARA -which is the first response to the bloating prescription drug epidemic that has been the root of the 130-something opiate overdoses completely ignored (until now) by our quagmired puppeteer-driven DC leadership. 130-something Americans dying every day while our elected officials squabble about providing funding to address the epidemic. Their solution is to bare bones the effort, manage some photo-ops, then make a direct line to dive into the longest summer break in this century’s history. Meanwhile, the 130-something daily American overdose fatalities continue to pile up like floating refuse at a clogged street drain.
although CARA could be an affective first step in rerouting this insanity, it needs to be more than an image of a response to be effective. We need education and reframing on a systemic level if things are to change. This current thought bubble of an effort hardly stands a chance.
Fellow Americans- we need to take a long hard look at what our priorities and values are as a nation. It’s a great time to work for change. Stop calling ourselves Christian and while we ignore our neighbors dying.
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) establishes a comprehensive, coordinated, balanced strategy through enhanced grant programs that would expand prevention and education efforts while also promoting treatment and recovery.
The bill passed the U.S. Senate on March 10, 2016, by a vote of 94-1.
Brief Summary of Provisions of CARA
Expand prevention and educational efforts—particularly aimed at teens, parents and other caretakers, and aging populations—to prevent the abuse of methamphetamines, opioids and heroin, and to promote treatment and recovery. Expand the availability of naloxone to law enforcement agencies and other first responders to help in the reversal of overdoses to save lives. Expand resources to identify and treat incarcerated individuals suffering from addiction disorders promptly by collaborating with criminal justice stakeholders and by providing evidence-based treatment. Expand disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications to keep them out of the hands of our children and adolescents. Launch an evidence-based opioid and heroin treatment and intervention program to expand best practices throughout the country. Launch a medication assisted treatment and intervention demonstration program. Strengthen prescription drug monitoring programs to help states monitor and track prescription drug diversion and to help at-risk individuals access services.
Ring, ring, it’s 7:00 A.M. Move yourself to go again Cold water in the face Brings you back to this awful place Knuckle merchants and your bankers too Must get up and learn those rules Weather man and the crazy chief One says sun and one says sleet A.M., the F.M. the P.M. too Churnin’ out that boogaloo Gets you up and it gets you out But how long can you keep it up? Gimme Honda, gimme Sony So cheap and real phony Hong Kong dollar, Indian cents English pounds and Eskimo pence You lot, what? Don’t stop, give it all you got You lot, what? Don’t stop, yeah You lot, what? Don’t stop, give it all you got You lot, what? Don’t stop, yeah Working for a rise, better my station Take my baby to sophistication Seen the ads, she thinks it’s nice Better work…
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