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Thursday, March 28, 2013
THE PARTNERSHIP OF DRUGFREE .ORG
Dear Joseph,
Last December at our annual Winter Wish Gala, we announced a new fund for children and families, in memory of our friend, our leader and our inspiration, James E. Burke.
His son, James, shared with us something very personal that night:
“As I look at my two young daughters, I am scared by the dramatic rise of prescription drug abuse among teens in this country…substance abuse and addiction would move my father in a way that would make him angry…make him cry at the devastation of young lives lost.”
His father’s passion for serving children and families remains with us today, and we often ask ourselves, “What would Jim do?”
It was Jim’s belief that parents and kids who struggle with substance abuse and addiction deserve the same quality of care, and open arms of support, that they would get with any other disease. It’s now our job to make that a reality.
To date, through donations to the James E. Burke Fund for Children and Families, we have raised close to $200,000 to provide valuable resources to families across the country, including sustaining our Parents Toll-Free Helpline, where our staff of caring professionals help callers every day.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Florida Sees Significant Drop in Number of Oxycodone Deaths in First Half of 2012
The number of deaths due to oxycodone decreased by 29
percent in Florida in the first six months of 2012, compared with the
second half of the previous year, according to a new report.
The drugs that caused the most deaths in the first half of 2012 were
benzodiazepines, oxycodone, ethyl alcohol, methadone and cocaine. The
report found deaths due to methadone and hydrocodone decreased 18.3
percent and 16.4 percent, respectively. Deaths caused by cocaine
decreased by 11.6 percent.
The report,
issued by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, provides evidence
the state is successfully fighting the prescription drug abuse epidemic,
officials said. For many years, Florida was a popular destination for
people who wanted to buy prescription drugs at “pill mills” and doctors’
offices, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
In 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed into law
a bill designed to cut down on prescription drug abuse by controlling
pill mills in the state. The law authorized the creation of a
prescription-drug monitoring database to reduce doctor-shopping by
people looking to collect multiple painkiller prescriptions. The
legislation also imposed new penalties for physicians who overprescribe
medication and imposes stricter rules for operating pharmacies.
The law had a major impact, according to a state government news release.
“Two years ago, Florida was home to 90 of the top 100
oxycodone-purchasing physicians on a nationwide list, and today Florida
isn’t on that list,” the release states.
“I am pleased that we are continuing to see a steady decline in the
number of prescription drug deaths,” said Florida Attorney General Pam
Bondi. “These declining numbers are a direct result of our comprehensive
strategy involving partnerships at the local, state, and federal level,
and together we are saving lives.”
Animal Study Yields Clues to Susceptibility to Alcohol Addiction
A study of mice suggests why some people may be more
susceptible than others to alcohol addiction. The findings may one day
lead to improved treatments, according to the researchers from Wake
Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The researchers studied how individual mice responded to alcohol.
Lead author Jeff Weiner, Ph.D., explained when mice are given alcohol
every day, they tend to become more stimulated and run around more, Science Daily reports.
“In high doses, alcohol is a depressant, but in low doses, it can
have a mellowing effect that results in greater activity,” he said.
“Those low dose effects tend to increase over time and this increase in
activity in response to repeated alcohol exposure is called locomotor
sensitization,” Dr. Weiner said in a news release.
One group of mice was injected with the same amount of alcohol every
day for three weeks, while another group received a saline injection.
They found a large variation in the development of locomotor
sensitization to alcohol. “Surprisingly, when all of the alcohol-exposed
mice were given an opportunity to voluntarily drink alcohol, those that
had developed sensitization drank more than those that did not. In
fact, the alcohol-treated mice that failed to develop sensitization
drank no more alcohol than the saline-treated control group,” Weiner
said.
“We know that some people are much more vulnerable to alcoholism than
others, just like some people have a vulnerability to cancer or heart
disease,” Weiner added. “We don’t have a good understanding of what
causes this vulnerability, and that’s a big question. But if we can
figure it out, we may be able to better identify people at risk, as well
as gain important clues to help develop better drugs to treat the
disease.”
The findings appear in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Commentary: Rx Summit Features More Than 120 Presenters
More than 120 presenters are set to lead a national discussion about ways to “Make An Impact” on the prescription drug abuse epidemic when the 2013 National Rx Drug Abuse Summit convenes in Florida April 2-4.
I am thrilled at the exceptional caliber of presenters assembled for
this conference by the Summit’s National Advisory Board. The quality of
their presentations is reflected in our ability to offer multiple
continuing education credits for medical professionals (physicians,
nurses and pharmacists), social workers, attorneys, addiction and
prevention specialists, human resources, criminal justice and insurance
professionals.
There
is still time for you to add your voice to the more than 800 conference
attendees from across the United States who will collaborate on
impactful solutions at local, state and national levels through timely
and data-driven data about the prescription drug abuse crisis.
In addition to an outstanding line-up of keynote speakers – Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden, National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Dr. Nora Volkow, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Director Frances Harding, Drug Enforcement Administration Diversion Control Deputy Assistant Administrator Joseph Rannazzisi, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Chairman/CEO Gen. Arthur Dean, Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. John Dreyzehner, Coalition Against Insurance Fraud Executive Director Dennis Jay and Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney John Niedermann – the Summit features:
• 30 breakout sessions grouped into educational tracks (law
enforcement, education/advocacy, clinical, treatment, pharmacy and
third-party payer). These sessions will be led by professionals from
many disciplines on the frontline of efforts to prevent, mitigate and
respond to prescription drug abuse issues.
• Nine workshops on three important focus areas: U.S. military,
prescription drug monitoring programs and successful strategies for
community change.
• Eight vision sessions offering in-depth examination of innovative
programs and strategies from organizations and businesses deeply
involved in the fight against Rx abuse and diversion.
• Four idea exchange sessions providing an interactive discussion on
issues pertaining to the Appalachian region, neonatal abstinence
syndrome and addiction among teens.
• A panel discussion featuring five members of the bi-partisan
Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse. Learn what actions are
currently being taken in Congress.
For information about the Summit visit www.NationalRxDrugAbuseSummit.org, or follow news about the event at Twitter.com/RxSummit, Facebook.com/RxSummit, or LinkedIn.com/RxSummit. Questions may be directed to Eric Rice at 606-657-3218 or erice@centertech.com.
Karen Kelly
President/CEO
President/CEO
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Commentary: Tax Revenue for Treatment
The abuse of prescription drugs is well documented. Many
possible solutions and remedies have been offered – at various levels of
government – ranging from expanded treatment and prevention, to
prescription drug monitoring systems. However, we find ourselves in an
era of shrinking budgets, for all domestic programs at all levels of
government. Whether the solutions we face lie in the health system,
justice system or elsewhere, there will be very little budget growth to
fund this fight for at least the remainder of the decade. If we are to
expand our fight against prescription drug abuse and want the support of
policy makers, it is incumbent upon us to find new sources of revenue
that will pay for the changes that must be made.
Although the word “tax” represents an incredibly sensitive and
politically charged topic these days, we need to explore it if that is
where our answer lies. Specifically, a sumptuary tax on the product that
is at the root of this problem: prescribed controlled substances (FDA
Schedules C-II through C-V). Ideally, this tax revenue would only be
used for preventive and rehabilitative services, and related expenses.
The funds would assist those without medical insurance, or the means to
pay for treatment.
Strong precedent exists for such a concept, such as the federal tax
on medical devices for the purpose of paying for health care services,
or state and federal excise taxes on alcohol or cigarettes. The
motivations behind so-called “sin taxes” vary. Taxes on products such as
tobacco and alcohol exist in part as a deterrent, with policy makers
holding the belief that a higher price on a product will discourage use
to a level that becomes abusive. This sounds fair in theory, but it does
not take into account the disease of addiction. For someone who is an
addict, whether to tobacco, alcohol or any other substance or behavior,
price is rarely an object. Our focus needs to be on the portions of
these tax revenues that are set aside for treatment and prevention
programs.
There is also precedence for the setting aside of funds generated
from legal activities in order to assist those that develop conditions
based on an abuse of said activity; specifically, problem gambling.
Casinos or racetrack casinos (“raceinos”) exist in 20 states, operating
legitimately, yet millions of people suffer from an addiction to
gambling. In many states, those who profit from gambling enterprises,
whether they be private or state entities, are required by law to set
aside a pool of funds to provide treatment for problem gamblers.
Depending on the state, this pool of funds can go toward assisting
localities, individuals, or both, especially with counseling and
prevention services.
We absolutely recognize the medical need for prescription drugs such
as OxyContin, Vicodin and others, as they play a vital role in pain
management for patients with no other alternatives, and who use them as
prescribed or under a doctor’s care, without abuse. Yet due to the lack
of institutional control over these substances – over prescription,
counterfeiting and inadequate monitoring- we are facing nothing short of
an epidemic caused by their abuse. Tax revenue of controlled
substances, sold with a prescription, can be an invaluable funding
stream used to address the damage that is known to result from the
widespread availability of and poor control over prescribed controlled
substances. Such an idea is easy to espouse, but far more difficult to
accomplish. The resources and commitment required to draft, introduce,
enact and enforce such legislation – at the state and federal levels –
could turn out to be exhaustive. Yet our calls for more treatment,
prevention and awareness have only taken us so far, and time is against
us. All of the details are far from ready, but the time for dialogue on
this idea is now. Let’s start talking.
Andrew Kessler is founder and Principal of Slingshot Solutions LLC, a consulting firm based in Fairfax, Virginia that specializes in substance abuse and mental health policy.
Sharon Blair is a national advocate
for prescription drug abuse treatment and prevention. She is the mother
of Jennifer Reynolds-Gonzalez, who lost her life to an overdose in 2009
at the age of 29.
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