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The scenes in the political ads play out in almost the same order: A heartbreaking story about someone who can’t seem to stop taking drugs. A grim statistic about opioids. And then a somber pitch from a candidate promising solutions. More and more, politicians in competitive races are using emotional pleas about opioid abuse to woo voters. In states like Wisconsin, where hundreds of people are dying of opioid overdoses every year, candidates are talking about drugs in stump speeches, on Facebook and in ads. (Smith, 6/7)

The House will vote on legislation aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic next week, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced Wednesday. The chamber will vote on dozens of bills over a period of two weeks. ... One of the more far-reaching measures lifts some limits on Medicaid paying for care at treatment facilities for people with opioid addiction, something known the IMD exclusion, a long-held goal for many advocates. (Sullivan, 6/6)

As legislation to address the opioid epidemic gains momentum, drug makers, insurers, and other interest groups are engaging in a concerted drive to tailor the bills to their liking. The effort, in some cases, has resulted in lawmakers softening, or entirely backing off, some of their most far-reaching proposals. Members of Congress have advanced dozens of bipartisan bills that advocates say are needed, commonsense steps to address the public health crisis. Later this month, the House is likely to consider legislation that would speed approvals for non-opioid painkillers, strengthen drug enforcement programs, improve care for children impacted by addiction, strive to reduce prescription levels, and improve prescription monitoring programs. (Facher, 6/7)

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar addressed questions Wednesday from House lawmakers in both parties about the administration's approach to the opioid addiction crisis. The discussion took place as House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced the chamber plans to move next week on opioid legislation. McCarthy expects the floor debate to require about a week and a half. A number of panels, led by the House Energy and Commerce and the Ways and Means panels, have been working on opioids-related legislation.  (Raman, 6/6)

None of the New Orleans agencies that use Naloxone to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses will be affected by a voluntary recall of the drug, according to Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office. The drug maker Hospira, Inc. said on Monday (June 4) that it was voluntarily recalling the single-use cartridge syringe system because of "loose particulate matter on the plunger that has the low potential to cause local irritation and internal allergic reactions," according to a press release issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Clark, 6/6)

Opioids are a mainstay of pain relief for cancer patients, so it may not be surprising that many feel victimized by efforts to curb the nation’s opioid addiction epidemic by limiting access to prescription painkillers. But the doctors and nurses who care for those patients are also caught in the middle of the crisis, two University of Pennsylvania experts argue in a recent opinion piece in JAMA Oncology. (McCullough, 6/7)

The powerhouse opioid fentanyl has drenched the drug supply in Greater Cincinnati, dwarfing the presence of heroin sold on the streets. More than 90 percent of drugs analyzed at the Hamilton County crime lab through May 3 this year have had the synthetic opiate in them. (DeMio, 6/6)

Recent research is promising: States where medical marijuana is legal have had fewer opioid deaths. But experts caution that it’s too early yet to declare marijuana a solution to the opioid epidemic. (Mendez, 6/6)