Q&A: Another Step to Solve Opioid Epidemic
With U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
Q: Why are opioid addiction and overdose deaths continuing to climb in the United States?
A: This fatal cycle of abuse, dependence and overdose continues to poison families and communities, affecting all income and education levels, ages and regions of the country. It’s being referred to as the “crisis next door.” More than two million Americans will suffer from addiction to prescription or illicit synthetic opioids this year, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). What’s more, the CDC estimates that there were more than 72,000 drug overdose deaths in 2017, with the biggest spike attributed to fentanyl. The Iowa Department of Public Health estimates 200 Iowans last year lost their lives from opioid misuse. The CDC says one in seven high school students reported misusing prescription opioids last year. Right now, it’s hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. America needs to bolster our efforts to turn the tide. Congress passed the landmark Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA), which I led through committee, that boosted resources for local responders and sought to improve public awareness. CARA is the first major federal law to address drug addiction in four decades. And yet, more solutions are needed. From my leadership positions on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, I have steered through a dozen more bipartisan legislative measures to add resources and strategies to help local communities respond to the crisis with data-tracking and transparency tools and improvements to treatment services. These bills align with five strategic pillars identified by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): 1.) obtain better data; 2.) improve prescribing methods and pain treatment; 3.) provide more addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services; 4.) increase overdose reversers; and, 5.) improve research. Opioids are highly addictive and the illicit distribution chain makes cheap, synthetic drugs affordable and accessible. The trafficking of illicit and counterfeit pills puts Americans in harm’s way. The CDC issued a recent advisory to public health departments, law enforcement officials, medical professionals and first responders regarding the uptick in the supply and overdose deaths by fentanyl. America’s current opioid epidemic is being called the deadliest drug crisis in U.S. history. In fact, overdose deaths are the leading cause of death for Americans under age 50 years old, more than guns or car accidents.
Q: What measures are included in the dozen bipartisan measures you are co-sponsoring?
A: The addiction epidemic captures more victims in its net than those who die from overdose. In addition to the tens of thousands of overdose deaths in recent years, the public health emergency extends to children who are orphaned or neglected and placed in the foster care system. Babies are born drug-dependent. Local budgets are strained as law enforcement, first responders, treatment counselors, medical providers and criminal justice workers provide public services related to abuse, addiction and overdose. Our legislative package contains multiple measures to address these issues, including: resources for family-focused residential treatment to allow kids to stay with their parents and avoid foster care; transparency tools to require drug companies and medical device makers to disclose payments to nurse practitioners and physician assistants; more effective use of prescription drug take-back programs; keeping the Drug-Free Communities and High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas programs intact and available for local communities; measures to improve enforcement and prosecution of controlled substances; tracking tools to gain better information on prescribing data to curb illegal sales; increased access to substance use disorder treatment through telehealth technology services in Medicare; and, improved data collection and access to care to more effectively treat substance use disorders. Getting a grip on this public health emergency will require relentless focus among policymakers, prescription drug makers, prescribers, patients, treatment counselors, first responders and law enforcement. There’s no quick fix to this devastating public health crisis. During my years of public service, I’ve been asked how to solve a seemingly insurmountable problem. You take one step at a time. Getting these measures included in the opioids package moving through Congress this month is another good step in the right direction.
