NBC29, ISABEL CLEARY

7th District Representative Abigail Spanberger has introduced a bill to provide funding for addiction recovery services.

The Support Recovery from Addiction Act is in response to Virginia’s increasing drug overdose deaths. There has been a 47% increase in opioid related deaths from 2019 to 2020, according to a report cited by Spanberger’s office.

The bill would would require states to set aside 10% within the Substance Abuse Block Grant program for recovery support services.

“This bill is incredibly important because we have seen the real life tragedy that has befallen our community and parents and families across Virginia and across the country when they’ve lost a loved one to an overdose,” Spanberger said.

Georgia’s Friends, a support house for women struggling with addiction, is one of the supporters of this bill.

“Addiction is a relapsing long-term illness where the brain has permanent changes. It’s called a conditioned response, it’s essentially like a learned instinct,” Georgia’s Friends Founder Dorothy Tompkins said.

Spanberger is still gathering more support for the proposed bill.