Fighting NH's Heroin Epidemic on All Fronts

Statement

Our state is facing growing heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemics, and some New Hampshire families will live with its effects for the rest of their lives. The Griffins from Newton are one of these families. Their daughter Courtney was just 20 years old when she overdosed and lost her life. She was bright and inquisitive - before her struggle with addiction took her future away.

Tragically, the Griffins aren't alone. In 2014, there were more than 300 fatal drug-related overdoses in our state - nearly 250 involving heroin or the synthetic painkiller fentanyl. New Hampshire ranks among the worst in the nation for teen drug use, and it is estimated that drug addiction costs the Granite State more than $2 billion annually in lost productivity, treatment and jail time.

While local and state partners are driving many solutions to address this epidemic, there are also roles for the federal government to play. In the Senate, I'm working across party lines to address this crisis in three key areas: making sure first responders have the tools they need, improving prevention and treatment, and boosting anti-drug-trafficking efforts.

Overdose deaths are expected to be even higher this year than 2014's record-breaking number. On a ride along with the Manchester Fire Department last summer, I witnessed first responders administering the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone to bring a man back to life. I also saw his infant child in the corner of the room, her future dependent on him.

Working with Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, I've helped introduce the Opioid Overdose Reduction Act, legislation to empower properly trained first responders, health professionals and family members to administer naloxone in emergency overdose situations. This bill will help address liability concerns that may make some hesitant to administer the life-saving drug.

We also need a heavy focus on prevention. Addiction to prescription pain medications are often a gateway to heroin use - approximately four out of every five new heroin users previously abused non-medical prescription painkillers. A bill I introduced with Sen. Joe Donnelly, an Indiana Democrat, would reauthorize prescription drug monitoring programs and call for a public awareness campaign focusing on the links between prescription opioid abuse and heroin addiction.

I'm encouraged that the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services has already made it a priority to identify best practices for physicians prescribing opioids, as Sen. Donnelly and I called for in our legislation. To further highlight this issue, I have also asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to evaluate the role that methadone prescriptions for pain management may play in overdose deaths.

Another component of prevention is safely disposing of unused or unneeded medications. In response to a letter I co-signed with a bipartisan group of colleagues, the Drug Enforcement Agency recently agreed to reinstate its successful National Drug Take-Back Day program, providing a convenient way to remove medications from the home.

Our response to this crisis must also consider the real human cost of addiction and recovery. I helped introduce the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which would launch an evidence-based opioid and heroin treatment and interventions program. While there are medications that can help treat addiction, there is an urgent need to expand treatment best practices across our nation. Because we can't arrest our way out of this problem, this bill would also dedicate resources to treating incarcerated individuals suffering from substance use disorders. Another bill I co-sponsored, the Second Chance Reauthorization Act, would additionally support re-entry programs for those individuals.

This epidemic also has heartbreaking side effects. Nationwide, there has been a staggering 300 percent increase in infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome after being exposed to opioids in the womb. At Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, officials told me that more than one baby every hour is now born with conditions of NAS. That's why I've signed on to the Protect Our Infants Act, directing HHS to develop a response to this alarming trend.

Finally, we must stop drug trafficking at the border. I have successfully worked over the last few years to make sure our annual national defense authorization bills include resources for detecting, monitoring, and interdicting illicit heroin trafficking and drug tunnels from Mexico to the United States. I've also been a strong supporter of the National Guard Counterdrug Program, which provides military capabilities and expertise to support the counterdrug activities of federal, state and local authorities.

I've worked to address this problem through additional avenues. In recent months, there have been a number of traffic crashes in New Hampshire where heroin or prescription opioids may have been a factor. I successfully introduced an amendment during recent debate on the Senate highway bill that would support states' work to prevent people from getting behind the wheel while they're under the influence of drugs - helping make our roads safer.

I'll continue my work to advance these legislative initiatives and look for ways to collaborate with and strengthen state and local efforts to combat this growing epidemic. Together, we can find effective solutions that will help save lives, strengthen families and improve our communities.

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