In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

Good news for substance use prevention and treatment overall in House appropriations: Partnerships for Success (from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention [CSAP]) grants were restored, and funding for primary prevention was restored. It's likely that the Senate will look at appropriations over the summer. But for many, especially those who are new to Congress, the frame of reference is STR and SOR. They didn't grow up in the system, and they don't understand the complexities, which mean that once money is delivered to the states, it needs to be spent at a local level. “The rollout stunk,” one Washington insider told ADAW recently, referring to the STR process. As we have written many times before, STR was passed by Congress in December 2016, and states had less than two months to get in their applications. The money went out and “stuff appeared,” as our source said. The pressure to get resources out the door, given the opioid crisis mode, was clear. But moving forward — and this is where appropriations come in — it's important to look at the entire substance use problem. STR and SOR are only for opioids. Adding billions of dollars to the budget for opioids when methamphetamine is around the corner and more people are still dying from alcoholism than opioids means that a broader view is needed. The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant, in which states decide where they need to spend the money, should come in for more funding. Under House appropriations, it doesn't. Still, the overall topline number increased for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the House, proposed cuts to the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention were rejected and there was a small increase in funding to combat underage drinking.