Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5046, the Comprehensive Opioid Reduction Act of 2016, because we need to ensure that every State has the tools they need to fight the opioid abuse epidemic.

H.R. 5046 establishes a comprehensive opioid abuse grant program to provide training to first responders, criminal investigation for the distribution of opioids, resident treatment centers, and drug courts.

Approximately 47,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2014, and approximately 21.5 million people ages 12 and older suffer from substance abuse. As a lifelong pharmacist, I have seen firsthand the struggles that these people face.

H.R. 5046 seeks to fight the opioid epidemic through a grant program that would provide States with the resources to provide programs to help Americans fight this disease.

It would help improve prescription drug monitoring programs, help address juvenile opioid abuse, give first responders the training to reverse opioid overdoses, and improve access for veterans in treatment court.

The only way we are going to be able to fight this battle is if we work together as a team to educate and help victims of the opioid abuse.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his support of what I consider to be a very important amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment to H.R. 5046 because Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and their effectiveness are key to fighting prescription drug abuse in this country.

As a lifelong pharmacist and as the author of the Georgia Prescription Drug Monitoring Program while I was a member of the Georgia General Assembly, I believe PDMPs are one of the most important tools in the fight against prescription drug abuse. To increase the success of these programs throughout the country, interoperability and data sharing between States is paramount.

I commend Chairman Goodlatte and the Judiciary Committee for their work on this bill; but to continue the growth and the success of PDMPs, interoperability should be included in any discussion to improve these systems so States can better share information about patients and the patterns that occur with interstate prescription drug trafficking.

I thank the gentleman from California for his work on this important issue, and I encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment.

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