Senator McConnell Shares Feedback from Kentucky Heroin Listening Session with Nation's Top Law Enforcement and Public Health Leaders

Press Release

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell met with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Deputy Administrator Thomas Harrigan, and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Chief of Staff Regina LaBelle in his office in the U.S. Capitol to discuss the Heroin Listening Session that he held in Northern Kentucky on March 7, 2014.

Senator McConnell held the session in Florence, Kentucky to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing prevention, prosecution and treatment/recovery efforts. The panelists included informed Kentuckians from the medical, public health, and law-enforcement fields, the business community, and a personal account from an individual in recovery. They shared their first-hand experiences in dealing with heroin abuse and the lives that it affects. In today's meeting, Senator McConnell talked with the CDC Director, White House, and DEA officials regarding the stories and constructive ideas he heard during the Kentucky forum.

"I appreciate CDC Director Frieden, DEA Deputy Administrator Harrigan, and the White House Drug Czar's Office sitting down with me to discuss the rise of heroin use that is destroying too many communities, families, and lives in the Bluegrass State," Senator McConnell said. "In an era when the federal government faces unprecedented levels of debt, we must acknowledge that the federal government has finite resources. However, there are positive steps we can and must take, and I look forward to working with officials in Washington to formulate the right policy that will lead to saving lives and protecting families in the Commonwealth."

"Senator McConnell's account of the impact of heroin and prescription drug overdoses in Kentucky is a stark reminder that behind the dramatic numbers are real people who we can help," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D, M.P.H. "CDC is committed to working in Kentucky and across the US on interventions that we know can help prevent prescription opioid misuse, and which if implemented effectively can also help curb heroin use."

"Kentucky has been hit particularly hard by opioids-both heroin and prescription painkillers. We are not powerless against this challenge and we are pursuing real, evidence-based drug policy reforms that will make Kentucky healthier and safer, including support for expanding prevention, treatment, and smart on crime innovations," ONDCP Acting Director Michael Botticelli said. "Drug control is a public health issue, not just a criminal justice issue and we look forward to advancing a comprehensive approach to the opioid epidemic with our Federal colleagues and Senator McConnell."

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