State Representative Paul Brodeur writes about prescription drug abuse in Massachusetts and how the legislature will aim to prevent it.

By Sara Jacobi
Drug abuse occurs everywhere- regardless of status, social class, age, or lifestyle. It is time we do all that we can to crackdown on drug abuse throughout the Commonwealth.

Over the next few months, my colleagues and I in the Legislature are considering legislation that aims to minimize prescription drug diversion, abuse, and addiction in Massachusetts.

In 2008 the Legislature formed a commission to study opioid abuse. What we concluded is astonishing. Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of opioid abuse in the nation. Here in the Commonwealth, there are more opioid related deaths than there are deaths due to car accidents. Nearly 54% of parents say their kids have easy access to prescription pain medication, and 14% of parents have given prescription pain relievers to their children without consulting a doctor.  Counting tranquilizers and sedatives, more people now experiment with prescription medication than marijuana, cocaine, and heroin combined.  After marijuana, Vicodin and amphetamines are the drugs of choice for high school seniors.  Court fees, jail time, and social services for prescription drug abusers cost Massachusetts taxpayers $4.5 billion every year.  These statistics are simply unacceptable.

The House and the Senate are working together to deliver a piece of legislation that addresses all of the problems related to prescription drug abuse. This bill aims to increase public awareness of the dangers of prescription drugs by requiring the Department of Public Health to produce an informational and easy-to-understand pamphlet explaining risks of opioids and where to turn for dependency treatment. Pharmacists will be required to distribute the information with every prescription painkiller filled.

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