Pubdate: Tue, 26 Aug 2014
Source: News-Item, The (PA)
Copyright: 2014 The News Item
Contact:  http://www.newsitem.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3556
Authors: Dominic Pileggi and Gene Yaw
Note: Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi represents Pennsylvania's
Ninth District in Chester and Delaware counties. Sen. Gene Yaw is
chairman of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and represents
Pennsylvania's 23rd District in Lycoming, Bradford, Sullivan,
Susquehanna and Union counties.

GROWING HEROIN, OPIOID EPIDEMIC DEMANDS ACTION

Over the past five years, nearly 3,000 heroin-related overdose deaths
have been identified in Pennsylvania. Overdose deaths in our state
have increased by an astounding 570 percent, rising from 2.7 to 15.4
per thousand over the last two decades.

Nationally, more people aged 25 to 64 are dying from heroin overdoses
than in vehicle crashes.

This epidemic affects individuals of every age, gender, race and
background. The increased use of heroin, which often has roots in the
abuse of prescription painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin, has
catapulted Pennsylvania to seventh in the nation for drug-related
overdose deaths in the latest federal statistics.

This long trail of human devastation has no respect for geographic
boundaries. The districts we represent include some of Pennsylvania's
most urban and most rural communities - and everything in between.
They have all seen the effects of heroin addiction far too often.

We cannot continue to sit by as the tally of needless deaths
increases. While any solution to this deadly epidemic will have many
parts, state laws can be immediately strengthened to deal with some of
the most significant causes.

Three first policy steps

In recent weeks, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a bipartisan
legislative research agency, began a series of statewide hearings to
identify more effective approaches in education, prevention,
treatment, monitoring, and enforcement for heroin and opioid abuse and
addiction. These hearings brought together key leaders in the fight
against drug abuse, including law enforcement officials, medical and
health care providers and - most importantly - family members who have
lost loved ones.

The first two hearings, held in Williamsport and Reading, highlighted
a number of legislative solutions to address this epidemic. Three
policies consistently supported by those testifying are providing Good
Samaritan immunity to those who help overdose victims, legalizing the
FDA-approved drug Naloxone, and improving the statewide prescription
drug database.

Providing immunity from prosecution for individuals for certain drug
crimes when assisting the victim of a drug overdose is the goal of
Senate Bill 1164, passed unanimously by the Senate last December. This
bill, known as a Good Samaritan Law, would encourage those who are
with someone experiencing a potential drug overdose to seek medical
help to prevent serious injury or death. There are documented cases
where such actions were not taken due to fear of arrest.

In June, the House of Representatives, with the leadership of
Judiciary Committee Chairman Ron Marsico, approved an important
amendment to Senate Bill 1164, adding provisions to provide Naloxone -
a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose - to all first
responders, as well as family members of persons at risk of an
overdose. Pennsylvania is one of only two states that does not allow
all first responders to carry this life-saving antidote.

This legislation has widespread support, including that of the
Pennsylvania Medical Society, the District Attorneys Association and
the ACLU.

Pennsylvania's existing prescription drug monitoring program would be
strengthened by expanding the types of drugs monitored and increasing
access for doctors and licensed pharmacists under a separate bill also
approved by the Senate, Senate Bill 1180. A similar House Bill is
working its way through the General Assembly.

Most other states already provide this crucial tool to physicians who
prescribe opioids - and those states are seeing the benefit in the
form of lives saved. Because an estimated 80 percent of heroin users
started with prescription drug abuse, the importance of improving our
database is undeniable.

Thousands already lost

The need to act swiftly in response to the growing heroin and opioid
epidemic facing Pennsylvania is clear. The thousands of lives already
lost to this epidemic include star athletes, straight-A students,
parents who become addicted to painkillers after surgery, and far too
many others to count.

We will work with the supporters of this important legislation, the
House, and the Governor to ensure that Pennsylvania has the benefit of
these tools to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic as quickly as
possible.

(Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi represents Pennsylvania's
Ninth District in Chester and Delaware counties. Sen. Gene Yaw is
chairman of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and represents
Pennsylvania's 23rd District in Lycoming, Bradford, Sullivan,
Susquehanna and Union counties.)  
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