Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 5046 to include drug take-back programs in the list of funds made available under the bill's Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program. The Centers for Disease Control reports that healthcare providers in the U.S. write 259 million prescriptions for opioids a year, enough for every American adult to have their own bottle of pills. In Massachusetts alone, 4.4 million opioid prescriptions, including 240 million pills, capsules, or tablets were dispensed in 2014. Further, nearly half of the people in my State report that it is too easy to get prescription opioids from those who have leftover pills. And the people who share these leftover pills are usually unaware of the significant dangers that they represent. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that nearly 4 in 5 people addicted to heroin say their habit began by misusing prescription medications. Over half of those people report they got their prescription painkillers from a friend or a relative for free. And this includes adolescents. My amendment would help give these people ways to stop their problem before it starts. More than ever, communities need to supply safe disposal services to their residents to get excess pills out of the hands of people who don't need them. My amendment would make sure that our communities have access to the resources they need to do so.…”