Steve Lynch: “First, I would like to commend Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Mr. Sensenbrenner, as well as Mr. Conyers and Mr. Johnson, for…”

“First, I would like to commend Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Mr. Sensenbrenner, as well as Mr. Conyers and Mr. Johnson, for their effort in bringing this important bill to the floor. I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 5046, the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016. Mr. Chairman, my amendment, if adopted, will allow grants authorized under the underlying bill to provide for developing, implementing, or expanding programs to ensure security and custody of opioids at medical facilities. The issue of abuse of prescription painkillers is not a new one, but the rise of this epidemic has really been fueled by the increased strength of and proliferation of these addictive drugs. It is well documented that the road to the use and abuse of an illicit opioid drug like heroin frequently begins with the legitimate use or diverted use of prescription opioid painkillers like OxyContin or Vicodin. Through a variety of ways, these powerful drugs end up in the hands of individuals struggling with their disease. One of the most frequent ways that these drugs make it to the street is after they have been stolen from a medical facility in which they are stored for legitimate use. In the wake of our nationwide prescription drug abuse epidemic, these drug diversion crimes have increased across the country. I will give you a few examples, but there are many.…”