McConnell: Drug Czar Includes Nelson and Madison Counties in Federal Program to Combat Illegal Drugs

Press Release

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was contacted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Acting-Director Michael Botticelli who advised that due to the magnitude of the drug threat, both Nelson and Madison Counties have been included in the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), as sought by Senator McConnell.

Last month, Senator McConnell spoke with the Acting Drug Czar to advocate on behalf of Nelson and Madison Counties' HIDTA designation. In 2012, Senator McConnell was also successful in pushing for Hardin County to be included in HIDTA. In designated HIDTA counties, the program provides agencies with coordination, equipment, technology, and additional resources to combat drug production and trafficking.

"A HIDTA designation allows us to efficiently leverage federal resources along with those of state and local partners to directly benefit particularly hard-hit counties such as Nelson and Madison. I regularly hear from KY law enforcement that this program provides the tools and training to make a real difference in efforts to protect Kentucky families from illegal drugs," Senator McConnell said. "Nelson and Madison law enforcement officials are working overtime to combat drug trafficking in the region. I know that in Nelson County the community is still reeling from the senseless loss of Bardstown Officer Jason Ellis, who was renowned as a champion for getting drugs off our streets."

"Senator McConnell has consistently championed the efforts of drug enforcement in Kentucky in their efforts to fight the ravages of drugs in our communities. This would not have happened but for him," said Frank Rapier, Executive Director Appalachia HIDTA and 49 year law enforcement veteran.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report that found that the number of deaths due to opioids nationwide had increased nearly fourfold from 2009 to 2011. Kentucky has the nation's third-highest mortality rate from drug overdoses, which is largely driven by prescription painkillers. According to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, about 1,000 Kentuckians a year fatally overdose on drugs--more than are lost to car crashes. Heroin deaths continue to climb and accounted for 32 percent of the drug overdose deaths last year.

Senator McConnell has a long history of helping raise awareness of the issue of prescription drug abuse by working closely with federal, state and local medical authorities, treatment centers, and law-enforcement offices. In 2011, Senator McConnell brought then National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske to Kentucky to witness firsthand the scope of the problem. He also fought for the expansion of the Appalachia HIDTA to hard-hit Jefferson County in 2009 and Hardin County in 2012.

Senator McConnell has also worked to secure federal grants for many community prevention and treatment efforts, and helped to successfully convince the FDA to take an important step toward limiting the abuse of generic crushable prescription pain pills. In May 2014, Senator McConnell testified before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control on heroin and prescription drug abuse following a listening session he held in Florence, Kentucky, earlier this year.

Most recently, Senator McConnell introduced the Protecting Our Infants Act in the U.S. Senate, which is designed to address maternal addiction and the scourge of opiate withdrawal in newborns.

Source