Sunday, February 19, 2012
Congressman Nick Rahall: Turning the Table on Prescription Drug Abuse
It is no secret that prescription drug abuse has turned countless lives into a living hell in southern West Virginia. It is rampant, lethal, and an appalling epidemic among our young and old, rich and poor, alike and, distressingly, our State has the Nation’s highest rate of drug-related deaths.
All across our region, prescription drug abuse is testing the resources, patience, and persistence of families and communities; educators and health professionals; our law enforcement professionals, prosecutors, and courts.
But, this is a nationwide problem that needs national attention. We also need the continued interest and support of citizens, businesses, volunteers, and community leaders.
Last year, I assembled community and political leaders along with Federal officials to see how we can coordinate our tools, talents, and time for the benefit of the people of southern West Virginia. By bringing together multiple stakeholders in the same room, we helped to produce the beginnings of a coordinated and sustained effort to combat this scourge in our state.
This week I announced I will participate in the first National Summit on Rx Drug Abuse.
Focusing the national spotlight on Appalachia’s prescription drug epidemic will help expose and unearth the root causes of the scourge that runs deep and wide across most of the country. With a national audience we can have more access to resources to help resolve this crisis draining our families, communities and our economy.
A united effort of national, regional, and multi-county resources is critical to our ultimate victory for both our citizens and communities against this epidemic.
I have teamed up with my friend, U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, to participate in a bipartisan Congressional Forum at the national summit to focus on the issue of prescription drug abuse affecting our states.
I also led an effort with Rep. Hal Rogers and our colleagues of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse in the House of Representatives, Reps. Mary Bono Mack of California and Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, in a bipartisan request for a hearing by the House Committee on the Judiciary to both enlighten Congress and help to advance legislative efforts to address the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse in the Nation. Several bills have been introduced on this subject, including my Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act; I will testify at a March 7th hearing by the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, which has jurisdiction over the pending legislation.
Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky share many virtues and opportunities, but we both are plagued by prescription drug abuse. Congressman Hal Rogers and I are singing from the same hymnal to engage a united effort of national, regional, and multi-county resources to combat the drug abuse scourge. Through the upcoming national summit and the hearings in the House of Representatives, we can help put Appalachia center stage in a national forum to direct attention back home.
Prescription drug abuse is a public health crisis, and we are fighting this epidemic every day, which affects far too many families in our state. It’s a fight that requires the sustained support and commitment of all parties at all levels.
When we say drug abuse impacts a ready workforce, we really are concluding whole regional economies are being affected, and that means completely innocent families are being hurt. With almost every sector of our economy being impacted, I believe we can build a coalition of strong national partners – public and private, non-profit and for-profit entities – which can help bring important resources to the table. We have people, aged nine to ninety, endangering their health. We have to blanket the country with two of our most cost-effective measures: education and prevention.
I am pleased our neighbor, Congressman Hal Rogers, representing eastern Kentucky, and my other colleagues, have joined me in a bipartisan effort to set before the nation and Congress the drug abuse plight of so many regions of our country. As we bring ideas and resources to the table, together we can work toward a comprehensive strategy to combat the drug abuse scourge.
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To Not Me,