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The Senate passed the final version of a sweeping opioids package Wednesday afternoon and will send it to the White House just in time for lawmakers to campaign on the issue before the November midterm elections. The vote was 98 to 1, with only Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) opposing it. (Itkowitz, 10/3)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell referred to it as "landmark" legislation in remarks on the Senate floor on Wednesday, saying that the bill will bring "relief to American communities that have been decimated by the scourge of substance abuse and addiction." McConnell said that the package will "deliver critical resources to establish opioid-specific recovery centers," and "will help law enforcement stop the flow of opioids across borders and increase safeguards against over-prescription." (10/3)

In the House, Republican incumbents in tough reelection races touted their work on the bill, while in the Senate more Democratic incumbents lauded the progress. For example, Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), who faces a tough race in a state President Trump won handily in 2016, praised the bill from the Senate floor Wednesday and pointed to the inclusion of provisions he worked on. Some Democrats say the bill is a good first step but more work still needs to be done, including more funding. (Sullivan, 10/3)

The bill would help accelerate research to find a nonaddictive painkiller, ease restrictions on which health care professionals would be able to prescribe medication-assisted treatment, and increase support for state prescription drug monitoring programs to prevent abuse. It would also help prevent illicit opioids from being shipped to the United States through international mail, provide grants to a variety of substance abuse prevention programs, and make numerous smaller changes to Medicaid and Medicare. (Raman, 10/3)

Public health experts generally see the legislation as a step forward at a time when, according to the White House Commission on Opioids, only about 1 in 10 people needing treatment actually get help. But advocates say more resources will be needed to build up treatment capacity for the long-term. And some point out that focusing only on opioids will leave the country vulnerable to other drug crises. Overdose deaths from cocaine and meth are already on the rise, according to the CDC. (Ehley, 10/3)