Prince's death by opioid overdose likely to stimulate Congressional action

Prince's death is likely to spur federal lawmakers to take action on legislation attempting to stem a national opioid abuse crisis, The New York Times reports.

Autopsy results released Thursday show Prince Rogers Nelson, the music legend commonly known as Prince, died from an accidental overdose of the powerful painkiller fentanyl.

Federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that Congress needs to work to improve drug treatment, better control prescription drug distribution and enhance training of emergency responders in treating overdoses, The New York Times reports. However, the report notes, disputes over funding, along with other maneuvering, has slowed legislative progress.

Congressional negotiators have started preliminary talks on reconciling different versions of the opioid legislation that have been passed by the two chambers, and they now want to produce a final version before the next recess, over the Fourth of July, according to the report.