Rush Amendment to Provide Treatment for Crack Addiction Unanimously Passes the House

Rush Amendment to Provide Treatment for Crack Addiction Unanimously Passes the House

U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) released the following statement on the unanimous House passage of his amendment to H.R. 5797, the IMD CARE Act, which addresses a longstanding and discriminatory gap in coverage and expands treatment options for those suffering from crack addiction.

The Rush Amendment expands the bill to include those individuals suffering from cocaine use disorder and explicitly clarifies the inclusion of cocaine base — more commonly known as crack cocaine — which, along with opioids, have wrecked communities across the nation.

“With the passage of my amendment we have finally taken a historic bipartisan step in providing relief to those who have been addicted to crack. For too long, these individuals have been ignored and denied access to treatment. Finally, today, we have stopped leaving black and brown Americans behind and instead, have decided to fight against addictions and the injustices that continue to tear our communities apart. No matter whether they are living on the South Side or in the Southwest Suburbs, whether they are addicted to crack or to opioids, when this bill becomes law, people across my district will be able to access treatment on an equal footing.” said Rush.

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