Substance abuse fight requires action, resolve. by Martin O'Malley
A substance abuse epidemic is sweeping through our nation. Nearly 44,000 Americans – about 300 of them Granite Staters – die every year from drug overdoses. Overdose deaths from prescription drugs have not only quadrupled in the last 15 years, but communities in New Hampshire are increasingly facing the devastating consequences of rising heroin use. We now lose more of our children, parents, classmates and neighbors to overdose than we do to traffic accidents, suicide or homicide.
As a nation, we need leaders with the experience – and the political will – to save countless families from this quiet tragedy.
I have seen the devastation of the substance abuse epidemic firsthand. When I was elected mayor of Baltimore in 1999, it was the most violent, abandoned and addicted city in America. Together, we forged a new consensus for action – uniting our community leaders, health service providers, foundations and law enforcement. We more than doubled funding for drug treatment programs, expanding treatment to thousands of people. And we shut down dozens of open-air drug markets that once operated with impunity. Together, we saved and redeemed lives, driving down heroin overdose deaths by 60 percent over a 10-year period.
Sadly, when I was governor of Maryland, we saw heroin resurface on the Eastern seaboard. But drawing on our experience in Baltimore, we responded immediately – investing far more resources, forging new partnerships and using every lever we had to save lives. In fact, in 2013 I made reducing deaths from overdose one of my administration’s top goals.
We understood then, as we must now, that progress is possible. But it requires responding to substance abuse as the public health crisis it is – embracing proven treatments, and calling on everyone to come to the table and help.
We’re not done fighting. From Manchester to Baltimore, heroin and prescription drugs are still taking lives. That’s why, as president, I have committed to working, day in and day out, to reduce deaths from drug overdose by 25 percent within five years. This is one of my 15 Goals to Rebuild the American Dream.
My plan for reducing overdose starts by building local partnerships. Tackling substance abuse requires state agencies, local governments, doctors, pharmacies, nonprofits, first responders and community leaders to collaborate to not only treat overdose but to prevent substance abuse before it starts. Over the next decade, I would invest $12 billion in federal and local substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.
More specifically, an O’Malley administration will focus on preventing substance abuse before it develops, by working with doctors to improve prescribing practices. This includes investing in prescription drug monitoring programs that help doctors and nurses identify patients who are at risk of substance abuse – and connect them to the treatment they need before lives are lost. It also means requiring that all physicians complete training on appropriately prescribing pain medications as a condition of their federal license.
At the same time, I will expand access to lifesaving treatment, and provide the resources for recovery to the communities that need them most. As president, I will increase funding for effective therapies, providing targeted resources to states that commit to expanding access to care. I will expand coverage of proven treatments under Medicare and Medicaid, and equip and train first responders to administer the reversal drug naloxone. And I will ensure that, whenever hospitals or first responders treat overdose, that they can quickly direct patients to effective treatment options. Emergency rooms are our first line of intervention, and we should empower them to provide access to lasting care.
In addition to being good policy, investing in effective solutions makes fiscal sense. Substance abuse costs our nation tens of billions of dollars every year – while every dollar invested in treatment saves four dollars in health care and seven dollars in public safety costs.
And we know that this approach will work, because states like Maryland – and New Hampshire – are proving it. Although substance abuse has had a tragic and lasting impact on our communities, I have been deeply impressed by the resilience and determination the Granite State has shown. Communities are coming together to overcome barriers and stigma to expand access to treatment to those most in need. The state expanded access to Narcan only months ago and has already saved lives. And families are speaking up, sharing their stories, and supporting and urging their neighbors to seek help for their loved ones before its too late.
Tackling drug addiction takes tremendous courage and resolve. But the work New Hampshire’s communities are doing, together, is making a real and lasting difference for families across the state.
As president, I will support New Hampshire and the other states on the front lines of the substance abuse crisis. Not just with rhetoric, but by focusing on the solutions and treatments we have shown to work. Having battled this epidemic as mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, I know that – with persistence, accountability and relentless resolve – we can take action that will save and redeem lives.
https://politics.concordmonitor.com/2015/10/opinion/my-turn-substance-abuse-fight-requires-action-resolve/