Political Quotes

“I yield myself 3 minutes. Prescription pain relievers, stimulants, and other controlled substances play a crucial role in health care; but when misused, these same medicines can be enormously destructive. Some are addictive. Some are life-threatening. Many are both. As these medicines proliferate, so, unfortunately, does the risk of misuse. Over the last decade, use of prescription pain relievers increased by almost 200 percent while the use of stimulants increased by more than 150 percent. An estimated 6.2 million Americans misuse prescription medications for nonmedicinal purposes. In 1999, a quarter of those taking prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes were new users. In other words, this problem is not just growing, it is exploding. To combat this abuse, physicians and pharmacists need information. This legislation, the culmination of hard work and compromise, as the gentleman from Georgia pointed out, by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield), the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) who is here today, and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland), will provide the information and coordination necessary to stem the misuse of prescription medicines. The legislation creates grants to establish State-run programs for prescription monitoring that will be administered and coordinated at the Federal level. Over 20 States currently have such a program in place or are working to develop one.…”