Ed Whitfield: “We are excited today to have on the floor this legislation relating to prescription drug abuse in the United States…”

“We are excited today to have on the floor this legislation relating to prescription drug abuse in the United States, which has reached epidemic proportions. Recent statistics show that 6.2 million Americans abuse prescription drugs. To help combat this problem, many States, such as my own State of Kentucky and about 20 others, have adopted prescription drug monitoring programs to assist physicians and law enforcement officials stop the abuse and prosecute those individuals who are breaking the law. The cornerstone of most existing drug-monitoring programs is that they allow physicians access to the information before writing a prescription for a controlled substance. Physicians tell us that it is an invaluable tool in treating their patients. However, there is one glaring problem, and that is that these programs operate only intra-state. And as the gentleman from Texas mentioned, it is essential that we have an inter-state program. To that end, I have been pleased to work with my colleagues on legislation to address this issue.”