Op-Ed: Breaking The Chains Of Addiction

Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Breaking The Chains Of Addiction

On December 8, 2009 our region was rocked by the heinous murder of Dr. Dennis Sandlin. The epidemic of drug abuse in our communities had taken the life of a man whose goal was to make southern and eastern Kentucky a better place by standing up to drug addicts and providing medical treatment to the underserved and forgotten. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to honor Dr. Sandlin's memory and join together with Operation UNITE at a medical professional's symposium that aimed to address prescription drug abuse and workplace safety.

Over 350 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, substance abuse counselors and other experts came to Hazard on March 6th to work toward eliminating the abuse and misuse of addictive prescription drugs. It was refreshing to see so many people come together to fight this epidemic- these are the individuals who are truly making a difference in our communities. The work each and every one at the symposium does is by far more important than any law passed or policy made. Our local medical professionals, law enforcement officers and community leaders are the people on the front lines of this battle.

Nearly every family has experienced the devastating effects of prescription drug abuse. Whether it is a brother, parent, child, neighbor or acquaintance- we have all witnessed the pain that addiction brings and felt the tragedy of losing someone to OxyContin and other drugs. Seeing the need to equip our doctors and law enforcement with tools to fight back, I went to Congress and fought for a program that became the Department of Justice Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Through this program KASPER, Kentucky's All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting System, became a model for the nation. KASPER can be utilized by law enforcement and health care professionals to track vital prescription information so that our doctors and pharmacists know when a prescription is being abused, and law enforcement can root out the unscrupulous doctors who are aiding drug dealers and addicts.

Despite KASPER's success, much more needs to be done. To date, KASPER has had a tremendous impact on our region but if more physicians, pharmacists, law enforcement officers and judges utilized the system, I believe we could deliver a much stiffer punch to the drug epidemic. Currently, only 31 percent of prescribers and 22 percent of pharmacists have KASPER accounts- we can and must do better than that.

Operation UNITE is one organization that routinely uses KASPER to share information and track drug abusers and dealers. Since 2003, UNITE has taken more than 3,000 drug dealers off our streets, along with more than $8.4 million worth of drugs. In addition to taking down these criminals, UNITE has paid for treatment for more than 1,600 drug addicts who couldn't otherwise afford to get help. And, UNITE has been active in our schools and taught nearly 52,000 students about the dangers of drugs and provided positive activities for our youth to participate in.

UNITE's symposium provided an opportunity to spread the word about effective tools, like KASPER, that are available to our health professionals. It also provided an opportunity to examine the loop-holes that still exist and brainstorm ways to close the information gap so that our communities have all the resources they need to stand up to prescription drug abuse. While the task of eliminating drugs from our region may seem daunting, I am encouraged by the determined and devoted individuals at this forum who have dedicated their lives to stopping this epidemic. I will continue the fight in Washington so that we can continue to expand effective programs like KASPER and Operation UNITE. Dr. Sandlin's death is a stark reminder of the work that still needs to be done, but I am optimistic that with continued hard work we will succeed at the fight against prescription drug abuse.

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