Senator Lankford Presented Award for Fighting Opioid Crisis

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today was awarded the “Fight for Good” award by the Salvation Army for his dedicated work in fighting the opioid crisis.

“As a community, we should all fight for what is good for our families and neighbors. Drug addiction has torn apart our families and individual lives. We should work until no family feels the pain of addiction,” said Lankford. “I will continue to support effective policies and stand up for families who have been tragically affected by the drug abuse crisis that has consumed our state.”

Lankford remains actively engaged in the national conversation that continues to impact Oklahoma and the nation. In 2017, following the White House’s declaration of a national emergency for the opioid crisis, the Senate approved an additional $3.7 billion for cracking down on opioid abuse. Lankford also appeared in a documentary called Killing Pain focused on the impact of the opioid crisis in Oklahoma. In 2018, Lankford supported the passage of H.R. 6, the Opioid Crisis Response Act.

In a Senate Finance Committee hearing on April 11, 2019, Lankford questioned the Director of the National Institutes of Health about the timeline for non-addictive opioid alternatives to get to market for patients with chronic pain. In June, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Carroll traveled to Oklahoma to hear first-hand about our state’s work to interdict illegal drugs and help families walk through drug addiction. In August, Lankford also applauded Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter’s work to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for their role in the opioid crisis in Oklahoma. In November, Lankford appeared in Facebook and Instagram public service ads across Oklahoma warning of the dangers of opioids and encouraging those who suffer from substance use disorders to seek treatment. In December, Lankford cosponsored the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act to give law enforcement enhanced tools to combat the opioid epidemic and close a loophole in current law that makes it difficult to prosecute crimes involving some synthetic opioids.