Q: What are opioids?
A: Opioids are prescription medications that doctors prescribe to manage and reduce pain. Sometimes prescribed after surgery, opioids also are used to treat chronic or severe pain from a medical condition or injury. As with any prescription medicine, doctors and patients need to consider the possible side effects. Mounting evidence reflects that the surging consequences from opioid use in America include dependence and addiction. Commonly prescribed opioids include oxycodone (OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet); hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lorcet); morphine; codeine; and fentanyl. When patients become dependent on these pain killers, it can evolve into a dangerous drug addiction. In turn, the misuse of prescription pain medicines can lead users to become hooked on heroin. It’s cheaper and easier to obtain on the street rather than trying to get a prescription and fill it at the pharmacy.
Q: Why is opioid misuse in America being called an epidemic?
A: In the previous decade, the rate of opioid-related deaths has quadrupled. Many people may be surprised to learn that more than 47,000 Americans died from overdoses in 2014. That’s more deaths than those resulting from either vehicular accidents or gun violence. What’s even more revealing, studies show that more than 10 million Americans reported abusing prescription opioids in 2014. The link between the misuse of prescription opioids to heroin addiction is alarming. The risk factor is undeniable. Some users turn to heroin because illegal drug trafficking has made it easier and cheaper to feed this dangerous, harmful addiction. Families across the United States have learned that this epidemic hits close to home and across the board. From high-, middle- and low-income, to rural, suburban, urban and white- or blue-collar workers, misuse of pain medicines or addiction to heroin is an equal opportunity problem with tragic outcomes. The pervasive reach of opioid misuse and addiction will require a comprehensive solution to prevent it from killing users, destroying families, disrupting productivity in the workplace and poisoning the fabric of our communities.
Q: How can we end the cycle of addiction?
A: The most important steps are prevention and education. I applaud the good work being done day in and day out by a corps of dedicated professionals and volunteers organized by local community anti-drug coalitions. They provide the comprehensive, all hands on deck approach that it will take to prevent this epidemic from spreading deeper into our communities. Solving problems needs to start in our homes and neighborhoods. That’s why I work to keep in place “take back” programs that allow patients to safely dispose of their unused medications at their local pharmacies. Pain killers left in medicine cabinets are too convenient for relatives, neighbors or teen-agers to get their hands on. The next National Take Back Day sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration is April 30. Participating pharmacies and local law enforcement will host safe and convenient locations for people to dispose of unneeded medications. Check online for more information as updates on locations are scheduled at http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.
We also need to continue educating medical professionals about the dangers of over-prescribing pain medication. And we need to build greater public consensus that recreational drug use that can lead to addiction is more than just a “bad habit.” The U.S. Justice Department continues to decline the enforcement of federal drug laws relating to marijuana despite evidence, including a recent Centers for Disease Control report that shows a person with a marijuana addiction is three times more likely to have a heroin addiction. Although law enforcement cannot arrest our way out of this crisis, we do need to strengthen transnational interdiction efforts. Federal border security must do a better job. The United States needs to shut down illegal drug trafficking networks that are pumping cheap heroin into our local communities. I’ve introduced a bipartisan bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California to strengthen prosecution tools targeting these drug cartels, and it passed the Senate last year. Finally, for those who suffer from addiction, we need better treatment solutions. Promising measures include medication-assisted treatment regimens. What’s more, overdose deaths may be dramatically reduced with the use of a medicine called naloxone.
By all accounts, prescription pain medicine too often has become a gateway to dependence and addiction. Millions of Americans are finding themselves gripped in a cycle of addiction that is destroying families, careers and futures. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will continue working to find solutions to this problem and help Americans get their lives back on track. Next up, the committee will consider the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015. This bill provides resources for local responders in our communities and puts together a comprehensive approach to help families heal and recover from what has turned into a national tragedy.
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016
