Senator Charles Schumer Presents A Detailed Plan To Battle Prescription Drug Abuse And Stem The Tide Of Painkiller Addiction

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said in a press conference that prescription drug abuse has spiraled out of control across the country and he has had enough of second-rate regulations and poor information access. The Senator proposed a detailed plan to address the problem of prescription drugs abuse, including doctor training, law enforcement and information exchange. ONE80CENTER believes that Senator Schumer’s plan is an excellent start in addressing the plague of prescription drug abuse and prescription painkiller addiction that is sweeping across the American landscape.

Schumer Compares Prescription Drug Abuse To Crack Epidemic

In an interview about his plan, Senator Schumer said, “I remember back in the ’80s and ’90s when crack began to rear its head and we didn’t do enough about it early, and it became an epidemic and our society paid a price for it. The worry is that it could happen again.” From the perspective of the clinical staff at ONE80CENTER, it not only has happened again, but it is attacking all aspects of society. While the illegal stigma of crack cocaine kept the problem contained, prescription drug abuse and its veil of legality is affecting everyone across the board.

A External Link To A Local Long Island News Report on Charles Schumer’s Plan

7 Ways To Address The Problem Of Prescription Drug Abuse

Charles Schumer has recognized the problem and is trying to find a constructive strategy to stem the tide. The Senator has proposed legislation that would:

1)   Require medical professionals to receive training for prescribing addictive painkillers.

2)   Require doctors to take learn the guidelines for safe pain management and be able to recognize early warning signs of addiction.

3)   Make $25 million available for states to create or upgrade prescription drug monitoring systems,

4)   Explore the creations of a federal system in which information could be shared across state lines.

5)   Ask credit card companies to deny transactions that involve illegal online pharmacies — much like credit card companies have done with organizations involved in child pornography and online gambling.

6)   Increase prison sentences for those who rob pharmacies or commit other crimes related to prescription drugs.

7)   The penalty for prescription drug crimes would double from 10 years to 20 years in prison.

ONE80CENTER totally supports the first six options of constructive engagement and effective enforcement, and we have been pushing for such measures for quite some time. The seventh point seems to be political in nature and a remnant of the failed War On Drugs. There is no question that violent crimes and robberies involving prescription drug abuse and addiction need to be punished to the full extent of the law. But we have to be careful that we do not fill the prisons with addicts caught with illegal prescription drugs that simply are victims of the disease of addiction.

Differences Between Substance Abuse and Violent Prescription Drug Dealing

 

There must be a clear delineation between violent prescription drug crimes, including drug dealers and pill mills, as opposed to being caught with illegal prescription drugs and taking them. The latter individuals need treatment, not prison, and the ability to achieve sustainable sobriety. Nobody believes the prisons should be overflowing with college students taking Ritalin to study or high school kids trying out a bottle from their parent’s medicine cabinets. These acts are wrong, but they demand education, prevention and treatment options, not prison time. However, there is no argument against this salient point that was made by the Senator: “If you are drug runner and you are running crack or cocaine, or you are running Vicodin or OxyContin, you should get similar penalties.”

When Senator Schumer points out that “This is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country”, the staff at ONE80CENTER could not agree more. It is true that he legislation, the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2011, attempts to improve state systems for tracking prescriptions. The bill also attempted to identify drug-seeking patients who visit numerous doctors and attempt to get multiple prescriptions.

But this legislation simply was not enough. Senator Charles Schumer also has urged the U.S. Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Agency to shut down the hundreds of online outlets that dispense prescription drugs, no questions asked, at the click of a mouse. “These are virtual pill mills that pump out deadly narcotics,” Schumer explained with complete accuracy.

Recent research links a nationwide increase in the abuse of prescription drugs to the proliferation of websites that illegally sell them. ONE80CENTER understands that treatment is not enough to stem the tide of the growing prescription drug abuse problem. More needs to be done, including the national prescription database, the regulation of illegal pharmacies and pill mills, and increased measure of both education and prevention. Treatment of substance abuse disorders, including prescription drug abuse and painkiller addiction, needs to be a top priority as well.