OxyContin Overdoses Increasing in Massachusetts
The OxyContin overdose rate is increasing in Massachusetts, and it could be even higher than projected in places like Fitchburg and Leominster because of the demographics of both cities, according to Representative Dennis Rosa, D-Leominster.
The Sentinel and Enterprise report that Rosa was responding to the release of a recent report from the Massachusetts OxyContin and Heroin Commission. The report offers statistics for Massachusetts on the number of overdoses from OxyContin and heroin, and gives recommendations for ways the state could curb the amount of people abusing these drugs.
"It's just a huge problem, it's so easy to get prescriptions," Rosa said. "We've got to stop this doctor shopping,” he added, referring to people who go from doctor to doctor, obtaining multiple prescriptions for narcotic painkillers and other medications.
Senator Steven Tolman, D-Boston, chaired the commission and is a member of the committee on mental and substance abuse. Tolman agrees with Rosa and feels that abusers of OxyContin, an addictive painkiller that often leads to the use of heroin, should be treated through the healthcare system, rather than through the court system.
"There's no uniform type of procedure to deal with addiction. I'm a firm believer of setting up addiction treatment centers for non-violent offenders. We're not looking to reinventing the wheel, we're looking to improve communication and address the root of the problem and start to treat drug addiction as a healthcare crisis instead of just through the criminal justice system," said Tolman.
In the report, the commission recommends several ways to curb the amount of overdoses from OxyContin and heroin in Massachusetts, including improving education and prevention measures in schools, revamping the state's prescription monitoring program to be in line with more effective monitoring plans in other states, and regulating pain management training for doctors, dentists, and nurse practitioners.
The report also suggests implementing a jail diversion program for first-time non-violent offenders, more effective strategies to support long- term engagement in treatment, and correcting the CORI system to better reflect the nature of substance-abuse related crimes.
Both Rosa and Tolman said they agree strongly with the commission's recommendation to revamp the state's prescription monitoring program.
Tolman said that 1,900 people with non-violent drug convictions are currently serving time in jail, which costs that state thousands of dollars. The state needs to make a more concerted effort to stop the creation of phony prescriptions, which allow people to go to multiple pharmacies and get a prescription at each one for drugs such as OxyContin, he said.
"We have the technology for that, we're not using it," Tolman said. "Very good people are getting trapped in the throws of addiction. It's John Q Public, it's sons, daughters, it isn't just in Fitchburg and Leominster...just in Boston...this drug is in every single neighborhood. It's all over our society.”
State Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, D-Leominster, another member of the committee on mental and substance abuse, agreed that the state should divert low-level offenders from jail and toward treatment programs. She said she is also concerned about protecting minors from the perils of overdosing.
"One of the things we need to look at is overdose prevention for minors. When you're a minor and you're experimenting a lot of times parents don't find out. We want parents to find out," said Flanagan.
"We also need to do more education surrounding the harm of drugs," she added. "We need to really show what the effects are. When we live with someone who has an addiction it affects everyone.”
The report states that between 2002 and 2007, Massachusetts lost 78 soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. In that same five-year period 3,265 residents died from opiate-related overdoses. In 2005, 21.8 percent of the total state budget was spent on substance abuse and addiction-related programs. In addition, early 70 percent of inmates in state and local prisons throughout the country admit to regular drug use.
"I think that the release of the report is very important to the state of Massachusetts. It's one of first times we've had an in-depth look at heroin and OxyContin in Massachusetts," said Flanagan.
Flanagan said the recommendations from the report will be presented to the Department of Public Health, the Legislature, and the Department of Mental Health.