Some of the measures cut from the original CARA bill have similar counterparts to be found in 2.0, in the form of an initiative to increase youth recovery support services and a provision requiring physicians and pharmacists to use their state prescription drug monitoring program before prescribing or dispensing opioids.

In addition, the legislation would allow states to waive the cap on the number of patients a physician can prescribe buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid addiction, and to increase penalties for opioid manufacturers that do not report suspicious orders.

The bill also contains authorization for $1 billion in additional funding, with approximately $10 million funding a national education campaign on opioids; $300 million to increase training for first responders and their access to an opioid overdose reversal drug; $300 million to expand medication-assisted treatment; and $200 million to help build more recovery support services.

The DOJ, for its part, according to Stat News, says it will increase its investigations of opioid manufacturers and distributors and weigh in on a number of state lawsuits targeting manufacturers including, among others, Purdue, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Insys, Janssen, and Teva. State and local governments are seeking compensation for what many plaintiffs allege are costs arising from marketing tactics used the companies.

Jeff Sessions, attorney general, says in the report that the agency will submit a statement of interest "in a lawsuit against a number of opioid manufacturers and distributors for allegedly using false, deceptive, and unfair marketing of opioid drugs."

The agency has already put in a year of enforcement-side actions, the report says, including crackdowns on fentanyl importation and a broader crackdown on opioid dealer and distribution networks across the country.