Eagle Tribune - Ayotte Backs Bill to Battle Opiate Problem

News Article

By James Niedzinski

The story of a 20-year-old Newton woman's fatal heroin overdose touched U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.

Courtney Griffin's death in September - and at least 256 opiate-related deaths in New Hampshire last year - inspired Ayotte to cosponsor the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015.

"I was just incredibly moved by their story of what happened to Courtney," Ayotte said Wednesday.

The Senate bill and a similar proposal in the U.S. House would put as much as $80 million into a national battle against opiate addiction. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also is a cosponsor.

The proposal calls for grant funding for drug prevention, education and treatment programs.

Kim Fallon, chief forensic investigator for the N.H. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said the number of opiate-related deaths in 2014 will likely rise once laboratory tests are complete.

"There will be more," she said.

Less than two months into 2015, she said, the medical examiner's office has confirmed four opiate deaths.

Nationally, in 2011, roughly 110 people died every day from drug overdoses, according to language in the bill.

The bill targets not only prevention, but also treatment. In 2013, 22.7 million people in the U.S. needed substance abuse treatment, but only 2.5 million received it, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Atkinson police Chief Al Brackett said, there's plenty of room for improvement with regard to drug prevention and treatment in the Granite State.

"I think there's a lot of things that are missing," Brackett said.

The bill also calls for the creation of a task force to examine how pain medication is prescribed. The task force would look at how to improve pain management, among other things.

Painkillers are the most widely abused controlled prescription drugs, according to the bill.

The proposal would fund prevention and education programs targeting teenagers and parents.

Education is important, Brackett said.

"They have no concept of what it can do to your life," he said. "So I think education is a very key part of the legislation."

Brackett said he has read the bill.

"I think it's a good bill; I think it's comprehensive," he said. "You need to take a comprehensive approach to the problem."

New Hampshire lacks treatment options for addicts, he said. People are often forced to go out of state for help and that can be expensive, he said.

And, he said, once someone completes residential treatment, there must be resources in place to help prevent those people from slipping back into addiction.

Other parts of the bill would provide grants to expand drug take-back systems and fund recovery support by nonprofit organizations and schools.

Since his daughter died, Doug Griffin has spoken about raising drug addiction awareness.

He said he supports the bill and Ayotte's efforts.

"It's a no-brainier," he said of the bill.

Griffin also supports expanding the use and availability of naloxone, a potentially lifesaving drug that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opiate drug overdose.

"My goal has been to show everybody how easy it is, how simple it is and it should be widely available," he said.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act would provide funds for local or state police to be trained in naloxone's use and the equipment needed.

Gov. Maggie Hassan has proposed a set of rules which would allow local police to carry naloxone if they chose.

Now, only N.H. emergency medical service workers can carry naloxone.

When police are the first to arrive at the scene of an overdose, they are not properly equipped, Griffin said.

"It's like showing up in a war without a gun," he said.

The bill has gained support from more than 100 organizations, Ayotte said, including the National District Attorneys Association, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, and the National Council for Behavioral Health.

"We've got a really strong group of senators on it," Ayotte said, "and it's bipartisian."

A version of the bill was introduced last year, she said, but no vote took place before the end of the session.

Ayotte said she is confident the bill will pass, given the bipartisan support and widespread problem of addiction.

Griffin said helping people overcome addiction and curb opiate overdoses are two issues that deserve attention, regardless of politics.

"I don't even see politics entering into it," Griffin said. "This is just something that's just got to get done."

Source