Sen. Blumenthal: Office of National Drug Control Policy Critical to Fighting Opioid Epidemic

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The office of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today sent a letter to the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) commending the important work it has done to combat opioid addiction, recommending further steps the office can take, and expressing concern regarding the Trump Administration's seeming indifference to the role the office plays in ending the opioid epidemic. Blumenthal's comments come on the heels of reports that the Trump will propose a 95 percent cut to the Office of National Drug Control Policy for 2018.

"Over the past several years, ONDCP has made strides in recognizing and treating the opioid epidemic as a public health and safety crisis that will be overcome through prevention and treatment of substance use disorder," the Senator wrote. "It is critical that ONDCP continues to maintain this guiding principle into the future and equally important that the Administration and Congress recognize the integral role access to affordable health coverage plays in ending the opioid epidemic. It is also vitally important that the work of ONDCP remains a priority for the Administration. I am troubled by the lack of information on ONDCP's website, showing an indifference to the importance of this office demeans the countless Americans who have been impacted by substance use disorder."

The Senator submitted comments today to ONDCP for its National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy), an annual report submitted to Congress that outlines the agency's plan for combating the opioid epidemic that year. In his comments, Blumenthal applauded ONDCP for its shift over the past several years towards treatment - a move that acknowledges and addresses the opioid epidemic as a public health crisis. Blumenthal submitted Opioid Addiction: A Call to Action, his report of 23 proposals resulting from nine roundtables held throughout Connecticut with important stakeholders in this public health crisis.

The full text of the letter is available here (https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/download/ondcp-letter) and below.

Dear Acting Director Baum,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) on the omnipresent opioid and substance use disorder epidemic that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States. This pervasive issue requires and rightly deserves the full attention of all facets of our government - from those in the White House down to our local elected officials - and I am pleased that you have given me the chance to offer input for the ONDCP's annual National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy).

In Connecticut, we have seen the number of fatal drugs overdoses skyrocket, with 917 people dying in 2016 - a 25 percent increase from the previous year.[1] Connecticut's Chief State Medical Examiner James Gill cited fentanyl, a drug almost exclusively manufactured overseas and trafficked into the United States, as "driving much of this increase."[2] Unfortunately, Connecticut's fentanyl crisis has become one of the worst in the country, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determining that Connecticut had the second largest increase of fentanyl deaths in the country.[3]

In an effort to hear from those who are most intimately involved in solving the opioid epidemic, I hosted nine roundtables throughout Connecticut to solicit input from those on the frontlines of this crisis. Each of these key stakeholders - whether they were mental health professionals, first responders, law enforcement officials, or those in recovery - had important stories and ideas to share. Following these discussions, I released a report titled Opioid Addiction: A Call to Action outlining twenty-three specific recommendations to alleviating the impact of this brutal epidemic. Attached is a full version of the report for review.

Along with the recommendations included in this report, ONDCP should prioritize the following in its upcoming Strategy:

The vital need for funding of states and local organizations to implement preventive programs, particularly through the Drug-Free Communities Support program;

Access to affordable health care through both public and private insurance, including Medicaid, which plays a central role in providing access to treatment, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which provides coverage and important protections for individuals struggling with addiction;

The need for mental health parity in insurance coverage for effective substance use disorder treatment programs;

The continued development of research on effective prevention methods and treatment programs, including medication-assisted treatment opioid-free pain management alternatives;

Continued funding of partnerships between Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to reduce drug trafficking through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program;

Encouraging partnerships between law enforcement that emphasize increased public awareness of substance use disorder over criminalizing addiction and those who are struggling with this disease.

Over the past several years, ONDCP has made strides in recognizing and treating the opioid epidemic as a public health and safety crisis that will be overcome through prevention and treatment of substance use disorder. It is critical that ONDCP continues to maintain this guiding principle into the future and equally important that the Administration and Congress recognize the integral role access to affordable health coverage plays in ending the opioid epidemic. It is also vitally important that the work of ONDCP remains a priority for the Administration. I am troubled by the lack of information on ONDCP's website, showing an indifference to the importance of this office demeans the countless Americans who have been impacted by substance use disorder. I am confident that more information will indeed be made public on ONDCP's website as soon as possible to show that combating the opioid epidemic is in fact a priority for this Administration.

Thank you again for the opportunity to comment on the opioid epidemic and the past work that ONDCP has done to alleviate this scourge. I look forward to working with ONDCP on this important issue going forward.

[1] http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-ocme-overdose-numbers-0224-20170223-story.html

[2] http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-opioid-overdose-numbers-2016-20170224-story.html

[3] http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-cdc-fentanyl-overdoses-20170105-story.html