State of the Union 2016: Be Aware, Don't Share

Tuesday January 12, 2016.

What does this date mean? It could mean absolutely anything but in the world of prescription drugs, January 12 is a whole new beginning.

President Obama in his State of the Union address promised to provide assistance and focus on prescription drug abuse. President Obama stated prescription drug abuse would be a bipartisan first concern.

"Tonight marks the eighth year I've come here to report on the State of the Union. And for this final one, I'm going to try to make it shorter. I know some of you are antsy to get back to Iowa. I also understand that because it's an election season, expectations for what we'll achieve this year are low. Still, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the constructive approach you and the other leaders took at the end of last year to pass
a budget and make tax cuts permanent for working families. So I hope we can work together this year on bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform, and helping people who are battling prescription drug abuse. We just might surprise the cynics again."

 President Obama issued a Memorandum to Federal Departments and Agencies back in October with two important steps to help and combat prescription drug abuse:

1. Prescriber Training.

1. Improving Access to Treatment

The release from the White House stated, "More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do in motor vehicle crashes and the majority of those overdoses involve prescription medications. Health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid pain medications in 2012 – enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills.  Opioids are a class of prescription pain medications that includes hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, and methadone.  Heroin belongs to the same class of drugs, and four in five heroin users started out by misusing prescription opioid pain medications.

In 2010, the President released his first National Drug Control Strategy, which emphasized the need for action to address opioid use disorders and overdose, while ensuring that individuals with pain receive safe, effective treatment.  Since then, the Administration has supported and expanded community-based efforts to prevent drug use, pursue ‘smart on crime’ approaches to drug enforcement, improve prescribing practices for pain medication, increase access to treatment, work to reduce overdose deaths, and support the millions of Americans in recovery."

This is a major issue in our country. Today's news headlines are filled with stories about "pill mills" and "doc shopping," and while they are real problems, they are not the primary suppliers.  Neither are typical drug dealers on the street. 

So where do they get it, and what exactly is “it?”  It is the typical pharmacy drug found in average household medicine cabinets across the United States.  That means that the person who is subscribed the medication has become the supplier and does not even realize it. That means, it’s you and me, parents and grandparents, friends and family.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2013) that 67 percent of the abused drugs come from friends and families.  Naturally, adults keep their prescription medications accessible so they have it when they need it – in the bathroom, on the nightstand, on the kitchen counter, in her purse.  But what adults don’t realize is these medications are now handy for teens to take.  Parents and grandparents, the "unwitting suppliers," must be made aware and not share their medications. What’s the solution?  What can we do to help combat this problem?  

The solution is Awareness.  Simply put, if we make people aware, they won’t share.

The President's announcement in October gives new efforts at the federal, state, local, and private sector aimed at addressing the prescription drug and heroin epidemic. In addition, CBS, ABC, the New York Times, Google, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and other companies will donate media space for Public Service Announcements about the risks of prescription drug misuse.

I hope in 2016 we can make this a reality. 

To see more facts visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/21/fact-sheet-obama-administration-announces-public-and-private-sector.