As a wave of overdose deaths involving a deadly heroin/fentanyl mix captures headlines, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) is proposing legislation that would earmark federal funding for state-designed overdose-prevention programs.

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) reported June 22 that the Durbin bill would provide funding to states to address local overdose problems. On their own, some U.S. cities have started distributing the anti-overdose medication naloxone to drug users and their friends, and targeting high-risk populations with overdose-prevention education.

The Durbin bill, dubbed the Drug Overdose Reduction Act, also would require the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a comprehensive anti-overdose plan.

"Many policymakers have been sitting on their hands while people lose their loved ones to drug overdose, but Sen. Durbin has taken decisive action to save lives," said Bill Piper, DPA's director of national affairs."