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Fighting Prescription
Drug Abuse
By U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
“I live in a small rural town with a big city problem.”
Brittany, a nursing student from Delaware County, reached out to me
about the growing prescription drug abuse problem. She is not alone.
It is an issue that touches Ohioans in all 88 counties.
Right now, people can go from doctor to doctor to obtain prescriptions
for powerful pain killers and get far more than they need for their own
legitimate use. Some of these so-called “pill-mills” – places that
distribute addictive pain killers with minimal oversight – are located
in Florida, transforming the I-75 corridor that runs from Toledo to
Miami into a prescription drug abuse highway.
These pill-mills jeopardize Ohio’s economy and take a devastating toll
on Ohio’s families and communities. It will take a combined effort to
combat this growing problem. Diverting prescription drugs is illegal.
Yet, it happens every day in our state.
Prescription pain medications, such as Oxycodone, morphine, and
methadone, are largely responsible for increasing numbers of overdoses
and deaths in Ohio. Ohio’s death rate due to unintentional drug
poisoning increased more than 350 percent from 1999 to 2008. Oxycodone
and other opioids caused more overdoses in Ohio in 2008 than heroin and
cocaine combined.
In recent years, accidental prescription drug overdoses have killed
more Ohioans than auto accidents. As the national death toll doubled,
deaths from prescription drug overdoses tripled in Ohio.
According to the Ohio Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force, the annual
costs of unintentional drug overdose in Ohio reached $3.5 billion in
so-called fatal costs (which include medical, work loss, and
quality-of-life loss) and $31.9 million in non-fatal, hospital admitted
costs.
Here are several ways we can combat this costly and deadly problem:
First, I’ve proposed that the State of Ohio establish a Medicaid
“Lock-In” program, which would crack down on the illegal use of
Medicaid cards to obtain and fill prescriptions for addictive pain
medications. This program would prevent prescription drug abusers from
acquiring excess prescription drugs – which they may abuse or illegally
re-sell – by barring them from visiting multiple doctors and
pharmacies.
Second, we can continue Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and crack
down on illegal transfers from Florida. I recently urged Florida
Governor Rick Scott to maintain the prescription drug monitoring
program in his state. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
(DEA), nearly all of the nation’s top 50 Oxycodone prescribers are
based in Florida.
Although every state is forced to make tough choices due to mounting
budget deficits, eliminating drug monitoring programs have far-reaching
implications. Florida’s pain clinics funnel unlawful prescription
medication into Ohio, so it’s imperative that we stem this growing
problem.
Next, we should increase federal enforcement and resources from the
DEA. A cohesive strategy can help keep our communities safe, which is
why I’ve convened roundtables in Ohio with local, state, and federal
officials to solve this problem. I am urging the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Agency to redouble its efforts to shutter “pill mills” where
prescription drugs are dispensed for non-medical reasons.
I have also contacted President Obama to combat Medicaid prescription
fraud, which robs taxpayers and fuels drug diversion. The vast majority
of Medicaid beneficiaries use their Medicaid card appropriately – but
we must stop those Medicaid enrollees who have been misusing their
Medicaid cards from continuing this costly and dangerous practice. I
have also supported “take-back” programs for unused drugs so hospitals
have a safe way to dispose of expired or unused medications.
We need to know how drugs are obtained illegally and work
comprehensively to cut off the source. We cannot afford to let improper
disposal, pharmacy-shopping, and doctor-hopping threaten the safety of
Ohio families.
Parents who will never see their child graduate from high school
because an unintentional overdose cut a young life short are left
wondering why addictive pain killers are so easy to obtain.
Cash-strapped local communities too often see first responders and
emergency room resources diverted to address the affects of illegal
prescription drug abuse.
Together, we can protect Ohio families and keep Ohio communities strong
by eliminating the drug diversion epidemic in our state.
We can move forward and create safer communities by addressing the
concerns of Ohioans, like the nursing student in Delaware County, who
are eager to work together to eradicate prescription drug abuse – in
small towns and big cities alike.
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