2 Bills Target Heroin, Prescription Drug Crisis, Buchanan Says

SARASOTA, FL – With the number of heroin overdose death up nine-fold over the course of four years, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan says it’s high time the folks in Washington, D.C., take action.

To that end, Buchanan, R-Florida, has cosponsored two bills that take aim at heroin and prescription drug use and abuse in the Sunshine State and beyond. The bills are meant to help stop the flow of illegal drugs into the country while also increasing prevention, education and treatment programs.

“Drug addiction is a growing crisis that destroys families and lives every day here in Florida,” Buchanan said in a statement. “It requires a serious and comprehensive solution.”

Heroin is considered one of the most addictive substances in the world and is often much cheaper to obtain than prescription pills, Buchanan noted. The two pieces of legislation, The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the Stop Abuse Act, are part of a multipronged approach to tackling the problem. Enacting the two bills is anticipated to cost $1.8 billion. The expense, Buchanan said, could be offset by introducing other spending cuts in the federal budget. It is unclear just where those cuts would be made.

“The number of heroin overdose deaths in Florida increased nine-fold, from 48 to 447, from 2010-2014, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission,” Buchanan’s statement said. “Spiking heroin use rates are being driven by a ‘one-two punch’ of cheap, available heroin and prescription narcotic abuse, according to Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Tom Frieden.”

Together the two bills provide such measures as:

• Funding for state, local and nonprofit drug education for teens and adults
• Grants for treatment and prevention programs
• The creation of a federal task for to create best practices for pain medication
• The creation of new veterans-specific drug treatment courts
• A reauthorization of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Grants. That program coordinates anti-drug trafficking efforts in specific, high-risk counties. A total of 21 Florida counties had this designation last year.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that more than 90 percent of heroin in the United States originates in South America and Mexico.

“The growing heroin addiction epidemic has touched far too many people and overwhelmed our local emergency rooms and law enforcement agencies,” Buchanan said. “We can’t turn a blind eye to this emergency as we lose more of our loved ones and heroin continues to flood our ports and the Southern border. It’s clear Congress must take swift action to counter this public health crisis.”

Local authorities seem to be backing Buchanan’s play.

“Congressman Buchanan understands the immediate need for funding aimed at local communities as they continue their efforts to support education, prevention, treatment, and recovery of individuals addicted to heroin,” Manatee County Sheriff’s Brad Steube said in a statement.

Drug Free Manatee supports the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) and is grateful to Congressman Buchanan for his leadership on this bill,” Sharon Kramer, executive director of the Manatee County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, said in a statement.

It is unclear how soon the piece of legislation might make it to the full House for a vote.

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