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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1010-E1011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPANDING FINDINGS FOR FEDERAL OPIOID RESEARCH AND TREATMENT ACT
______
speech of
HON. TROY BALDERSON
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Mr. BALDERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3153, the
Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment, or EFFORT
Act. This bill is of particular importance to me, as I represent an
area that has been devastated by the opioid crisis over the past
decade, and I am privileged to speak today on the important of this
bill.
In my home state of Ohio, the rate of opioid-related deaths is more
than double the national average. In this regard, Ohio ranks as one of
the top-five states with the highest rates of opioid-related deaths.
What's more alarming, however, is the rate at which the number of
opioid overdoses have increased: twenty-eight percent from July 2016
through September 2017. That's barely more than a year during which
opioid overdoses grew by nearly thirty percent. These statistics should
terrify every parent, sibling, teacher, caregiver, and friend, because
opioid addiction is not
[[Page E1011]]
confined to any one geographic, socioeconomic, or other type of
demographic. Rather, this epidemic is ravaging communities all around
our country.
How did this epidemic start? Let's go back to 2012, when there were
more opioid prescriptions in my home state of Ohio than there were
people. Prescriptions to opioids were handed out like candy, and there
was little-to-no regulation on these highly-addictive drugs. Someone
could sustain a simple injury--say, to their knee or their back--
perhaps even have surgery, and be prescribed highly-addictive opioids
for their pain. With no oversight, Americans everywhere were slowly
becoming addicted to these substances, with their tolerance levels
increasing, therefore requiring them to take higher doses to experience
the same level of pain relief. Of course, these drugs are not cheap.
Often times, when the drugs become too costly or a prescription ran
out, these now-addicted opioid users would turn to street drugs, such
as heroin, to feed their addiction. In Ohio, four out of five heroin
addicts began their drug use with prescription painkillers.
Often times, once an addiction starts, it's near impossible to break
the cycle. Truly, the best way to treat addiction is to stop it before
it even starts. Of course, we know now that opioid addiction is
completely preventable, and fighting this growing epidemic will take
the work of many committed groups. This multifaceted crisis needs the
support of police departments, communities, families and schools,
government at all levels, and the medical and science communities.
That's where the EFFORT Act comes in.
This critical piece of legislation will direct the National Science
Foundation to study the effects of the opioid epidemic and will require
this body to consult with the National Institute of Health--and vice
versa--in their research of opioid addiction. I'm a firm believer that
research is one of the most important tools in fighting illnesses like
addiction. Of course, this is just one of many pieces in the vast
puzzle of putting an end to the opioid epidemic. This bill is a step in
the right direction, and we need to continue our efforts to fight this
epidemic. I am proud to cosponsor the EFFORT Act, and I thank my
colleague from Virginia, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton for introducing
this critical legislation. I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 3153 so
our country can better prevent opioid addiction.
____________________
