House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations Hearing
Chairman Sensenbrenner, Ranking Member
As you know, the
At ONDCP, we are charged with producing the National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy), the Administration's primary blueprint for drug policy, along with a national drug control budget. The Strategy is a 21st century plan that outlines a series of evidence-based reforms that treat our Nation's drug problem as a public health challenge, not just a criminal justice issue. It is guided by what science, experience, and compassion demonstrate about the true nature of drug use in America.
The considerable public health and safety consequences of nonmedical prescription opioid and heroin use underscore the need for action. Since the Administration's inaugural 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, we have deployed a comprehensive and evidence-based strategy to address opioid use disorders and overdose deaths due to heroin use and prescription opioid misuse. The Administration has increased access to treatment for substance use disorders, expanded efforts to prevent overdose and has coordinated a Government-wide response to the consequences of nonmedical prescription drug use. We also have continued to pursue actions against criminal organizations trafficking in opioid drugs. This statement focuses largely on the Administration's public health policy interventions to address opioid drug abuse, as well as those of our Federal, state and local partners, including professional associations that are involved with opioid prescribing or the prevention and treatment of opioid misuse. The statement of the
Trends and Consequences of Opioid Use
Opioids - a category of drugs that includes heroin and prescription pain medicines like oxycodone, oxymorphone and hydrocodone - are having a considerable impact on public health and safety in communities across
The diversion and nonmedical use of prescription opioid medications has been of serious concern at the national, state, and local levels for over a decade. Increases in admissions to treatment for substance use disorders, n5 drug-related emergency department visits, n6 and, most disturbingly, overdose deaths n7 attributable to nonmedical prescription drug use place enormous burdens upon communities across the country. Heroin, in contrast, until very recently has been used at much lower rates, possibly because historically its use was generally via injection, which often was necessitated by its low purity. As heroin purity increases, heroin can be smoked or snorted. n8 Research shows that price reductions (resulting from greater availability) are closely related to overdose hospitalization rates; every
In 2013, over 4.5 million Americans ages 12 and older reported using prescription pain relievers non-medically within the past month. n10 This makes nonmedical prescription pain reliever use more common than use of any category of illicit drug in
Nonetheless, the trend for increases in heroin users shown in the
A recent report from
This report also indicates that individuals who use heroin also use other drugs. People with past year abuse of or dependence on alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, or opioid pain relievers were at increased risk for past year heroin abuse or dependence. In 2013, 59 percent of the 8,257 heroin-related overdose deaths in
Research illustrates that heroin use today is one of the later steps in most personal drug use trajectories. An analysis of NSDUH data shows that 21,000 people nationally began using heroin when 12 to 17 years old, 66,000 people began using when 18 to 25 years old, and 82,000 began when 26 years and older. n18 Past-year heroin users were most likely to be in the 26 and older demographic. A second study of treatment seekers found the average age of treatment seekers to be around 23, and 75 percent of these began by using prescription opioids first. n19 While the increases in overdose deaths among young people is disturbing, and pediatricians and doctors caring for people under the age of 25 need to be engaged on this issue, practitioners who treat adults normally past the typical age for developing substance use disorders need to monitor their patients for possible heroin use.
The nonmedical use of opioids translates into serious health consequences. In 2013 alone, approximately 1.9 million Americans met the diagnostic criteria for abuse of or dependence on prescription pain relievers, with heroin accounting for approximately 517,000 people with past-year abuse or dependence; both figures represent significant increases from just a decade earlier. n20 For the duration of this statement, the terms "opioid use disorder" and "heroin use disorder" will be used to describe people who meet the criteria for abuse and dependence, since the terminology in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (
Although only about 15 percent of people who have not used heroin in the past year believe it would be fairly or very easy to obtain, approximately 81 percent of people who have used it in the past year hold that belief. n21 Most Americans of all ages perceive great risk in using heroin once or twice a week. n22 Disturbingly, approximately 20 percent of people 12 to 17 years old do not believe using heroin once or twice weekly is harmful (compared to only 5 percent of people 26 or older). n23
Beyond the many lives taken by fatal overdoses involving these medications, prescription opioids are associated with significant burden on our healthcare system. In 2011 alone, the last year for which these data are available, 1.2 million emergency department (ED) visits involved the nonmedical use of prescription drugs. n24 Of these 1.2 million ED visits, opioid pain relievers accounted for the single largest drug class, accounting for approximately 488,000 visits. This is nearly triple (2.8 times) the number of ED visits involving opioid pain relievers just 7 years earlier in 2004 (173,000). Among specific opioid drugs in 2011, oxycodone accounted for the largest share (31%) of ED visits; there were 100,000 more visits involving oxycodone in 2011 than in 2004, an increase of 263 percent. Heroin was involved in nearly 258,000 visits in 2011. Increases in hospitalizations for prescription opioid overdose within a community actually predicts subsequent year heroin overdose, n25 indicating that not only do people tend to migrate to heroin if it is available, but also entire communities may shift usage habits.
Similar trends concerning growth in heroin use are reflected in the country's specialty substance use disorder treatment system. Data show a more than double increase in the past ten years of treatment admissions for individuals primarily seeking treatment for prescription opioid use disorder, from 53,000 in 2003 to 127,000 in 2011. Heroin treatment admissions remained flat over the same time period, yet accounted for 285,451 admissions in 2012. n26 Although all states have not yet reported specialty treatment admission data for 2013 and 2014, the trend in those states that have is that many more people are seeking treatment for heroin use than in the past. n27 In contrast, the percentage of people seeking treatment for prescription opioid use disorder has declined. Not every state, however, has experienced this decline. In some states with particularly intransigent prescription opioid misuse problems (for example,
There has been considerable discussion around potential connections between the non-medical use of prescription opioids and heroin use. There is evidence to suggest that some users, specifically those with a serious prescription opioid use disorder, will substitute heroin for prescription opioids. Heroin is cheaper than prescription opioids. A SAMHSA report found that four out of five recent heroin initiates had previously used prescription pain relievers nonmedically. However, only a very small proportion (3.6%) of those who recently had started using prescription drugs nonmedically initiated heroin use in the following five-year period. n28 Preventing the initiation of nonmedical opioid use nevertheless can help reduce the pool of people who may resort to heroin initiation later on because a large proportion of heroin users begin with abusing opioid pain relievers, even if this is a small subset of overall nonmedical opioid users.
We also know that substance use is often progressive, with some users rapidly escalating their use frequency, dosing, potency of drug and using through routes other than oral administration (e.g., sniffing, smoking or injecting) to achieve greater euphoria. Because the body rapidly develops tolerance to most effects of opioids and because withdrawal from opioids exerts the opposite effect (e.g., severe pain and gastrointestinal distress) regardless of whether the drug used is a relatively weak opioid like codeine or a stronger one like heroin, a vicious cycle can develop, where a user must keep using to avoid the severe flulike and depressive symptoms associated with withdrawal. We know from survey data that as an individual's nonmedical use of prescription opioids becomes more frequent or chronic, that person is more inclined to purchase the drugs from dealers/prescriptions from multiple doctors, rather than simply getting them for free from a friend or relative. n29 Qualitative data indicates as tolerance, dependence, or craving increases, users tend to obtain more opioid sources and at times will select lower cost alternatives such as heroin as a way to meet and afford escalating opioid needs. n30, n31, n32 Research also suggests that the same dealers who deal in illicit pills often also supply heroin. n33
The Administration's Response
Since 2009, the
The following discussion identifies the efforts in each of these areas as experts believe they are all important for addressing heroin and the public health of people and communities heroin impacts.
Efforts to Stem the Prescription Opioid Crisis
Nonmedical use of prescription drugs still represents the bulk of illicit opioid use in America, and pharmaceutical opioids are responsible for the majority of opioid-related deaths. Our response to this public health emergency focuses on preventing the diversion and nonmedical use of prescription drugs, decreasing the number of Americans dying from opioid overdose every day, and expanding access to effective treatment, health care, and services for people with opioid use disorders.
In
The Administration has made considerable progress in all four areas of the Plan. To start, much progress has been made in expanding available continuing education for prescribers. Managing patients' pain is a crucial area of clinical practice, but research indicates that health care practitioners receive little training on pain management or, safe opioid prescribing. n36, n37 Ten states (
At the Federal level, the
The Administration developed and has made available free and low-cost training options available for prescribers and dispensers of opioid medications via several sources, including SAMHSA and NIDA.
These efforts alone, however, cannot address the dearth of critical and necessary opioid prescriber training as it is an optional program. From 2010 to 2013, overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have decreased - but only by 2 percent. n48 We must do more to ensure all prescribers have the tools they need to prevent nonmedical prescription drug use. The Administration continues to support policies that mandate a continuing education requirement for prescribers, as outlined in the Plan, potentially linked to their registration to prescribe with the DEA.
In March, HHS announced a comprehensive, evidence-based initiative aimed at reducing opioid dependence and overdose. Among the three priority areas of the initiative are efforts to train and educate health professionals on safe opioid prescribing, including the development of prescribing guidelines for chronic pain by the
The Administration is also educating the general public about the dangers of opioid use. ONDCP's Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program currently funds 680 community coalitions to work with local youth, parent, business, religious, civic, and other groups to help prevent youth substance use. Grants awarded through the DFC program are intended to support established community-based coalitions capable of effecting community-level change. All DFC-funded grantees are required to collect and report data on past 30-day use; perception of risk or harm of use; perception of parental disapproval of use; and perception of peer disapproval of use for four substances, including prescription drugs.
The second area of the Administration's Plan focuses on improving the operations and functionality of state-administered Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs). PDMP data can help prescribers and pharmacists identify patients who may be at-risk for substance use disorders, overdose, or other significant health consequences of misusing prescription opioids. State regulatory and law enforcement agencies may also use this information to identify and prevent unsafe prescribing, doctor shopping, and other methods of diverting controlled substances. Aggregate data from PDMPs can also be used to track the impact of policy changes on prescribing rates. The Prescription Behavior Surveillance System, funded by
In 2006, only twenty states had PDMPs. Today, the
Building upon this progress, the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and SAMHSA are working with state governments and private sector technology experts to integrate PDMPs with health information technology (health IT) systems such as electronic health records. Health IT integration will enable authorized healthcare providers to access PDMP data quickly and easily at the point of care.
In
While PDMP reporting is not required by IHS facilities, many tribes have declared public health emergencies and have elected to participate with the PDMP reporting initiative. Currently, IHS is sharing its pharmacy data with PDMPs in 18 states, n63 and IHS is in the process of negotiating data-sharing with more states. n64 As these systems continue to mature, PDMPs can enable health care providers and law enforcement agencies to prevent the non-medical use and diversion of prescription opioids.
The third pillar of our Plan focuses on safely removing millions of pounds of expired and unneeded medications from circulation. Research shows that approximately 53 percent of past year nonmedical users of prescription pain relievers report getting them for free from a friend or relative the last time they used them, and for approximately 84 percent of these, that friend or relative obtained the pain relievers from one doctor. An additional 15 percent bought or took them from a friend or relative. n65 Safe and proper disposal programs allow individuals to dispose of unneeded or expired medications in a safe, timely, and environmentally responsible manner.
From
In addition, DEA published a Final Rule for the Disposal of Controlled Substances, which took effect
ONDCP and DEA have engaged with Federal, state, and local agencies, and other stakeholders to increase awareness and educate the public about the new rule. In
The Plan's fourth pillar focuses on improving law enforcement capabilities to reduce the diversion of prescription opioids. Federal law enforcement, to include our partners at DEA, is working with state and local agencies across the country to reduce pill mills, prosecute those responsible for improper or illegal prescribing practices, and make it harder for unscrupulous registrants including pharmacies to remain in business. An unintended consequence of law enforcement efforts against pharmaceutical suppliers can occur when major enforcement actions happen, patients receiving medicines for legitimate conditions from those providers or pharmacies may be abandoned. Without being tapered off their opioid regimens they will experience withdrawal which can be profoundly disabling and is only alleviated by an opioid. n70 It is not known how many patients have resorted to heroin in these circumstances, but without coordination between law enforcement to ensure enforcement activities do not interrupt legitimate patient care, we are concerned about unintended consequences.
All of these efforts under the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan are intended to reduce the diversion, non-medical use, and health and safety consequences of prescription opioids. The Administration has worked tirelessly to address the problem at the source and at an array of intervention points. This work has been paralleled by efforts to address heroin trafficking and use, as well as the larger opioid overdose problem facing this country.
Efforts to Stem the Heroin Crisis:
Heroin was added to Schedule I of the controlled substances list in 1914, and efforts to address heroin use and trafficking have been reflected annually in our National Drug Control Strategy. Opium poppy, from which heroin is derived, is not grown in
Pharmaceutical opioids activate the same receptors in the brain as heroin, a reason why users can switch from one to the other and avoid withdrawal. Approximately 18 billion opioid pills were dispensed in 2012, n71 enough to give every American 18 years or older 75 pills. n72 Plentiful access to opioid drugs via medical prescribing and easy access to diverted opioids for nonmedical use help feed our opioid crisis. In fact, as discussed above, the majority of new users come to heroin with experience as nonmedical prescription drug users. n73 Prior to today's opioid epidemic, heroin largely had been confined to urban centers with larger heroin using populations. Many communities and states that have never had a heroin use problem are now dealing with this epidemic, as
In 2012 ONDCP held an interagency meeting focused on heroin, as many agencies were concerned that prescription opioid users might migrate to heroin. The interagency prescription drug working group formed a research group to examine the nature of the transition from prescription opioids to heroin, and
In
The National Drug Control Strategy's efforts also include pursuing action against criminal organizations trafficking in opioid drugs, working with the international community to reduce cultivation of poppy, identifying labs creating dangerous synthetic opioids like fentanyl and acetyl-fentanyl and enhancing border efforts to decrease the flow of these drugs into the country.
Treatment, Overdose Prevention, and Other Public Health Efforts
The public health consequences of nonmedical opioid and heroin use are often similar if not identical. Most notably, in both cases, some proportion of individuals escalate use and eventually develop a chronic opioid use disorder requiring treatment. The low rate of cases referred to treatment by medical personnel in the face of such a dangerous epidemic suggests that providers may ignore or miss the problems of nonmedical prescription opioid use and heroin use among their patients. The extent of the opioid use problem requires that health care providers work in tandem with law enforcement to address the issue.
People who escalate use are vulnerable to begin injecting, and this behavior dramatically increases their risk of exposure to blood-borne infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C. It is noteworthy that in the latest HIV outbreak in rural
Nonmedical use of opioids like heroin can produce overdose including fatal overdose especially when used in conjunction with other sedatives including alcohol and anti-anxiety medicines. People who have stopped using for a period of time, such as those who were in treatment, have been medically withdrawn, or have been incarcerated, are especially at risk of overdose because their tolerance has worn off but they use amounts similar to those prior to cessation. When used chronically by pregnant women, both prescription opioids and heroin can cause withdrawal symptoms in newborns upon birth, and if these opioids are withdrawn during pregnancy, fetal harm may result.
For these reasons, it is important to identify and treat people with prescription opioid use disorder quickly, ensure they are engaged in the most effective forms of evidence-based treatment, and make lifesaving tools like the overdose reversal antidote naloxone widely available. Fortunately, the treatments for heroin and prescription opioid use disorder are the same. The standard of care is behavioral treatment plus stabilization on one of three
The Administration continues to focus on vulnerable populations affected by opioids, including pregnant women and their newborns. From 2000 to 2009 the number of infants displaying symptoms of drug withdrawal after birth, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), increased approximately threefold nationwide. n76 Newborns with NAS have more complicated and longer initial hospitalizations than other newborns. n77 Newly published data shows the problem nearly doubled from 2009 to 2012. n78 Additionally, the study showed that 80 percent of the cost for caring for these infants was the responsibility of state
The Administration is focusing on several key areas to reduce and prevent opioid overdoses from prescription opioids and heroin, including educating the public about overdose risks and interventions; increasing access to naloxone, an emergency opioid overdose reversal medication; and working with states to promote Good Samaritan laws and other measures that can help save lives. With the recent rise in opioid-involved overdose deaths across the country, it is increasingly important to prevent overdoses and make antidotes available.
It is important to note in some cases traffickers are combining heroin with the synthetic lab-produced opioid fentanyl or an analog, presumably as a way to increase user perception of product strength and thus user experience. n79 Fentanyl can produce overdose rapidly in naive users and in such cases naloxone may be insufficient remedy for fentanyl or its analogs. n80
The Administration is providing tools to local communities to deal with the opioid drug epidemic. In
The Administration continues to promote the use of naloxone by those likely to encounter overdose victims and for them to be in the position to reverse the overdose, especially first responders and caregivers. The Administration's FY 2016 Budget requests
Extraordinary collaboration is taking place in rural and suburban communities such as
Prior to 2012, just six states had any laws which expanded access to naloxone or limited criminal liability. Today, 35 states n89 and the
The Affordable Care Act and Federal parity laws are extending access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits for an estimated 62 million Americans. n93 This represents the largest expansion of treatment access in a generation and could help guide millions into successful recovery. The President's FY 2016 budget request includes
It is essential to identify and engage people who use prescription opioids non-medically early because the risks of being infected with HIV or hepatitis C increases dramatically once someone transitions to injection drug use. It is much less expensive to treat a person for just a substance use disorder early using evidence-based treatment, rather than to treat a person with a substance use disorder and provide lifetime treatment for HIV or a cure for hepatitis C.
Medication-assisted treatment should be the recognized standard of care for opioid use disorders. Research shows that even heroin users can sustain recovery if treated with evidence-based methods. Studies have shown that individuals with opioid use disorders have better outcomes with maintenance MAT. n94 Yet for too many people, it is out of reach. For instance, only 26.2 percent (3,713) of treatment facilities provided treatment with methadone and/or buprenorphine. n95 Treatment programs are too often unable to provide this standard of care, and there is a significant need for medical professionals who can provide MAT in an integrated health care setting.
Medicines for opioid use disorder containing buprenorphine are important advancements that have only been available since
We need to increase the number of physicians who can prescribe buprenorphine, when appropriate and the numbers of providers offering injectable naltrexone. Of the more than 877,000 physicians who can write controlled substance prescriptions, only about 29,194 have received a waiver to prescribe office-based buprenorphine. Of those, 9,011 had completed the requirements to serve up to 100 patients. The remainder can serve up to 30. Although they are augmented by an additional 1,377 narcotic treatment programs, far too few providers elect to use any form of medication-assisted treatment for their patients. n96 Injectable naltrexone was only approved for use with opioid use disorders in 2012, and little is known about its adoption outside specialty substance use treatment programs but use in primary care and other settings are possible. To date only about 3 percent of U.S. treatment programs offer this medicine for opioid use disorder. n97 Education on the etiology of opioid abuse and clinician interventions is critical to increasing access to treatments that will stem the tide of opioid misuse and overdose.
And there are some signs that these national efforts are working with respect to the prescription opioid problem. The number of Americans 12 and older initiating the nonmedical use of prescription opioids in the past year has decreased significantly since 2009, from 2.2 million in that year to 1.5 million in 2013. n98 Additionally, according to the latest Monitoring the Future survey, the rate of past year use among high school seniors of OxyContin or Vicodin in 2014 is its lowest since 2002. n99
However, while all of these trends are promising, the national data cited earlier concerning increases in emergency department visits, treatment admissions, and overdoses involving opioids bring the task ahead of us into stark focus. Continuing challenges with prescription opioids, and concerns about a reemergence of heroin use, particularly among young adults, underscore the need for leadership at all levels of government.
Conclusion
We continue to work with our Federal, state, local, and tribal partners to continue to reduce and prevent the health and safety consequences of nonmedical prescription opioid and heroin use. Together with all of you, we are committed partners, working to reduce the prevalence of substance use disorders through prevention, increasing access to treatment, and helping individuals recover from the disease of addiction. Thank you for the opportunity to testify here today, and for your ongoing commitment to this issue. I look forward to continuing to work with you on this pressing public health matter.
n1 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Encyclopedia Available at: http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx
n2
n3 See http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1151267/heroin-project-2014-study-on-overdose-deaths.pdf
n4 Goldberger BA1, Maxwell JC, Campbell A, Wilford BB. Uniform standards and case definitions for classifying opioid-related deaths: recommendations by a SAMHSA consensus panel. J Addict Dis. 2013;32(3):231-43. doi: 10.1080/10550887.2013.824334.
n5
n6
n7
n8 Stover HJ1, Scheffer D. SMOKE IT! Promoting a change of opiate consumption pattern - from injecting to inhaling. Harm Reduct J. 2014 Jun 27;11:18. doi: 10.1186/1477-7517-11-18. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4094754/
n9 Unick G1, Rosenblum D, Mars S, Ciccarone D.Addiction. The relationship between US heroin market dynamics and heroin-related overdose, 1992-2008.2014 Nov;109(11):1889-98. doi: 10.1111/add.12664. Epub 2014
n10
n11
n12
n13
n14
n15 National Seizure System, El Paso Intelligence Center, extracted
n16 Jones CM, Logan J, Gladden RM, Bohm MK. Vital Signs: Demographic and Substance Use Trends Among Heroin Users -
n17
n18
n19 Cicero TJ, Ellis MS,
n20
n21
n22
n23 Ibid.
n24
n25 Unick GJ, Rosenblum D, Mars S, Ciccarone D. Intertwined epidemics: national demographic trends in hospitalizations for heroin- and opioid-related overdoses, 1993-2009. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e54496. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054496. Epub 2013
n26
n27
n28
n29 Unpublished estimates from
n30 Lankenau SE, Teti M, Silva K,
n31 Lankenau SE1, Teti M, Silva K, Bloom JJ, Harocopos A, Treese M.J Patterns of prescription drug misuse among young injection drug users.
n32
n33
n34
n35
n36 Mezei, L., et al. Pain Education in North American Medical Schools.
n37 U.S.
n38 CONN.
n39 24 DEL. CODE ANN. [Sec.] 3.1.1, available at http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title24/Uniform%20Controlled%20Substances%20Act%20Regulations.pdf.
n40
n41 201 Ky. Admin. Reg. 9:250 (2013), available at http://www.lrc.ky.gov/kar/201/009/250.htm.
n42 MASS.
n43 N.M. ADMIN. CODE [Sec.]
n44
n45 TENN. CODE ANN. [Sec.] 63-1-402 (2013), available at http://www.tn.gov/sos/acts/108/pub/pc0430.pdf.
n46
n47
n48
n49 "Determination That the OXYCONTIN (Oxycodone Hydrochloride) Drug Products Covered by New Drug Application 20-553 Were Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness."
n50
n51 21 CFR Part 1308 Schedules of Controlled Substances: Rescheduling of Hydrocondone Combination Products from Schedule III to Schedule II. DEA. Final Rule. Available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-08-22/pdf/2014-19922.pdf
n52 Brady, JE, Wunsch, H, Dimaggio, C, Lang, BH, Giglio, J, and Li, G. Prescription drug monitoring and dispensing of prescription opioids. Public Health Reports 2014, 129 (2): 139-47. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3904893/pdf/phr129000139.pdf
n53
n54
n55 P.L. 2015, c.74 (N.J. 2015), available at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2014/Bills/AL15/74_.PDF
n56
n57
n58
n59
n60
n61
n62 Disclosures to Participate in State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, 78 Fed. Reg. 9589 (
n63
n64
n65
n66
n67 Disposal of Controlled Substances, 79 Fed. Reg. 53519 (
n68
n69
n70
n71
n72 Estimate presented by
n73 Muhuri, P.K., Gfroerer, J.C., Davies, MC. SAMHSA CBHSQ Data Review. Associations of Nonmedical Pain Reliever Use and Initiation of Heroin Use in
n74
n75 Jones CM, Logan J, Gladden RM, Bohm MK. Vital Signs: Demographic and Substance Use Trends Among Heroin Users -
n76 Epstein, R.A., Bobo, W.V.,
n77 Patrick, S., Schumacher, R.E., Benneyworth, B.D., Krans, E.E., McAllister, J.M., & Davis, M.M. (2012). Neonatal abstinence syndrome and associated health care expenditures:
n78 Patrick, SW, Davis, MM,
n79 Notes from the field: increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths -
n80 Zuckerman M, Weisberg SN, Boyer EW. Pitfalls of intranasal naloxone.Prehosp Emerg Care. 2014 Oct-Dec;18(4):550-4. doi: 10.3109/10903127.2014.896961. Epub 2014 May 15. Available at linked to on.
n81
n82
n83
n84 http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/26-AUG-JOINT-FACT-SHEET-FINAL.pdf
n85 SAMHSA.
n86
n87
n88 Lake County Health Department Reporting. Email 2/19/15.
n89 CA, CO, ID, OR, UT, WA, AZ, NM, OK, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, TN, VA, WV, CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, SD, and WI.
n90 CA, CO, ID, UT, AZ, NM, GA, MS, NC, TN, VA, WV, CT, MA, NJ, NY, PA, VT, IN, MI, MN, OH, SD, and WI.
n91 CA, CO, ID, OR, UT, WA, AZ, OK, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, TN, VA, WV, CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NY, PA, VT, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, SD, and WI.
n92 AK, CA, CO, UT, WA, NM, FL, GA, KY, LA, NC, WV, CT, DE, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, IL, IN, MN, and WI.
n93
n94 Weiss RD, Potter JS, Griffin ML, McHugh RK, Haller D, Jacobs P, Gardin J 2nd, Fischer D, Rosen KD. Adjunctive Counseling During Brief and Extended Buprenorphine-Naloxone Treatment for Prescription Opioid Dependence: A 2-Phase Randomized Controlled Trial Published in final edited form as: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 December; 68(12): 1238-1246.
n95 SAMHSA.
n96 Personal communication (email) from
n97 Aletraris L1, Bond Edmond M1, Roman PM1., Adoption of injectable naltrexone in U.S. substance use disorder treatment programs. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2015 Jan;76(1):143-51.
n98
n99 The Monitoring the Future study. Narcotics other than Heroin: Trends in Annual Use and Availability - Grades 8, 10, and 12.
Read this original document at: http://judiciary.house.gov/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=80980670-6080-4230-968F-3D84C99CF258
CMS Actuary Finds Health Care Spending Outpacing GDP Growth
Lowey Announces $42.8 Million in Federal Emergency Preparedness Grants for New York Area Transit Systems and Ports
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News