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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Combating
Prescription Drug Abuse in Ohio
Drug overdoses are on the rise across Ohio.
In 2013, we saw a record 2,110 fatal overdoses in our state. Opioid
abuse in particular has wreaked havoc across Ohio, devastating
thousands of families. When it’s easier for Americans to access opioids
than it is for them access help to treat their addiction, we have a
serious problem.
That’s why I worked across the aisle this week to introduce the
bipartisan Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment Act (TREAT
Act), which would allow health care providers to treat larger numbers
of patients struggling with addiction to opioids like painkillers and
heroin.
Current law limits the number of patients a health care provider can
treat for opioid abuse problems using medication-assisted treatment
programs. This has left patients to languish on waiting lists for
critical treatment.
My bill would update U.S. law to enable qualified physicians to treat
larger numbers of patients struggling with addiction and, for the first
time, allow certain nurse practitioners and physician assistants to
provide supervised, medication-assisted treatment for patients.
We must ensure that there are a variety of treatment options available
for those who need help battling addiction, including effective
medication-assisted treatment. By allowing doctors to treat more
patients and utilize medication-assisted treatment in combination with
behavioral health support, we can change the course for treating opioid
addiction for the better.
Opioid addiction is a chronic disease that, when left untreated, places
a large burden on our health care system. Deaths from opioid overdoses
in the United States have increased by more than five times since 1980.
Each year, about 475,000 emergency room visits are attributable to the
misuse and abuse of opioid pain killers across the U.S.
We also need to do more to get drugs out of wrongful hands. Too many
Ohioans can easily get prescription drugs from the family medicine
cabinet or from family and friends who no longer use the medicines they
were legally prescribed.
That’s why last week I, along with several of my Senate colleagues,
sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch urging her to reinstate
the Drug Enforcement Administration’s s National Drug Take-Back Days.
This program has successfully provided Americans with the opportunity
to safely turn over unwanted, unneeded, and expired medications so they
don’t end up in the hands of people who may abuse them.
Last September’s Take-Back Day in Ohio featured 194 sites available for
safe drug disposal throughout the state, and was a tremendous success.
Abuse of prescription drugs — especially painkillers — can devastate
communities. We can and must do more to keep these medications out of
the hands of those who abuse them, and to get Ohioans dealing with
addiction the help that they need.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator
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