Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Justice Grant Reauthorization Act of 2025 Introduced in the Senate

This week, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Justice Grant Reauthorization Act of 2025 to extend the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Grant Program (COSSUP), which combats the opioid epidemic and improves evidence-based treatment and prevention of substance use disorders. COSSUP has maintained overwhelming bipartisan support since it was first enacted as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016 (PL 114-198) and when it was reauthorized as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act) of 2018 (PL 115- 271).

According to a recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), almost 48.5 million Americans aged 12 and older had a diagnosable substance use disorder in 2023, or 1 in 6 people. COSSUP's emphasis on partnership and collaboration across the public health, behavioral health, and public safety sectors has helped states and communities develop and implement evidence-­based programs to respond to the opioid epidemic.

Key COSSUP features that would be extended include:

1. Promoting public safety and supporting access to treatment and recovery services in the criminal justice system.

2. Strengthening the collection and sharing of data across systems to understand and address the impact of illicit substance use and misuse.

3. Aligning and maximizing resources across systems and leveraging different program funding.

4. Preventing illicit substance use and misuse.

   
   

Sign On to the National Support Letter

Addiction Policy Forum invites your organization to sign the national sign-on letter.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

To sign your organization on to the letter, please click here.

To learn more about COSSUP click here.

Reference:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2024). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP24-07-021, NSDUH Series H-59). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-annual-national-report