The scourge of heroin overdoses and related deaths has risen nationally in recent years. The epidemic of drug abuse was even an important topic in New Hampshire during the presidential primary elections, as that state has seen a 75 percent increase in overdose deaths. Ohio has also been hit particularly hard, with many people in the state personally affected.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ohio is one of only fourteen states that saw a “statistically significant” increase in the number of drug overdose deaths from 2013 to 2014. Locally, counties in Ohio’s seventh congressional district are seeing spikes in overdoses. Richland County alone will have at least 39 overdose deaths in 2015.
The issue of opioid addiction should be viewed holistically, with emphasis on access to help and treatment at all stages of addiction and recovery. It needs compassion for the families, friends and communities affected by addiction to opioids. The families of addicts share the pain of their loved ones, communities do what they can to support those attempting to overcome addiction and many babies are born with addiction after their mothers used opioids during pregnancy.
The most innocent victims of substance abuse are children born to addicts who are addicted themselves. A study published in the Journal of American Medical Association shows that the number of infants born with “medical issues associated with drug withdrawal in newborns due to exposure to opioids or other drugs in utero” has nearly tripled from 1.2 per 1,000 hospital births in 2000 to 3.39 per 1,000 in 2009. This is known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. In response the House approved a bill last year, the Protecting Our Infants Act, that directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study NAS, how to best treat and prevent it, and to collaborate with state health agencies in their efforts to treat children born addicted to opioids.
The first step in stopping this national crisis is to stop addiction at the source. According to the CDC, Americans addicted to opioid painkillers are forty times more likely to become addicted to heroin. At the same time the amount of painkillers prescribed has increased four fold since 1999. A recent article detailed how several pharmacies in Florida were each dispensing over one million oxycodone pills a year, which indicates just how much some pharmacies may keep in stock for prescription fulfillment. Last year the House passed H.R. 471, the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act, which brings law enforcement, drug distributors and pharmacies together to strengthen the pharmaceutical supply chain, increasing oversight and uniformity, which will increase protections against criminal activity while giving patients access to medication they need.
Expanding on the collaborative effort, the House also passed legislation that helps states create and maintain electronic systems that keep track of controlled substances such as hydrocodone. It will help monitor how and when they’re dispensed and encourage cooperation among states to prevent trafficking of narcotics and other prescription medications.
Preventing prescription drug abuse is just the first step. Recent data presented to the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control suggests there is an increasing shift from prescription drugs to heroin, with the epidemic surging in suburban and rural areas. The House and Senate both passed legislation that gives states the tools to tackle the epidemic of opioid and other substance abuse crises. Each state is unique in its demographics, problems and solutions when it comes to drug abuse. This legislation enables states to provide appropriate services, tailored to the needs of that state, to increase access for those affected by addiction.
Finally, last year two of my colleagues created the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic. The goal of the task force is to assemble community leaders, medical experts in the field of drugs and addiction, and law enforcement officials from every level to identify obstacles to tackling the opioid crisis. The task force is not meant to create a national, one-size-fits-all blueprint on preventing heroin abuse. Rather, it is an opportunity to trade and promote best practices and “foster interagency collaboration” to defeat the opioid epidemic.
I am proud to have joined this bipartisan effort and am hopeful we can produce meaningful options and practices that will give states and local communities tools in continuing to fight a serious threat to public health. Confronting and defeating opioid addiction is critical to ensuring that we leave the next generation of Americans a better nation than we inherited.
Bob Gibbs represents Ohio’s 7th congressional district. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
