Hyde-Smith: UMMC Awarded prescription opioid abuse research grant

$663,080 Will Allow Continued Research as Miss. Overdose Deaths Rose in 2020

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today announced a $663,080 grant to allow the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) to continue research on deterrents to prescription opioid abuse.

Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee, said last week’s release of U.S. drug overdose data underscores the need for the UMMC research.

“Opioid addiction, which too often starts with legitimate physician prescriptions, affects individuals and our overall society.  The rise in fatal drug overdoses in Mississippi and across the United States tells us that deterrence research at UMMC should continue,” Hyde-Smith said.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) grant represents a continuation of funding for a UMMC research project started in 2015 and expected to extend through May 2026.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week issued Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts for 2020, which reported a 30 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in the United States last year.  The CDC National Center for Health Statistics report also showed a nearly 35 percent increase in such fatalities in Mississippi from December 2019 and December 2020, based on available data.

Within the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Hyde-Smith supported significant LABOR-HHS funding for NIDA to target misuse and addiction of both opioids and stimulants.  This funding became law in December.

Press Release

7/21/2021