Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress makes the following findings: Nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers is a matter of increasing public health concern. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the proportion of all substance abuse treatment admissions aged 12 or older that reported any pain reliever abuse increased more than 400 percent between 1998 and 2008, from 2.2 to 9.8 percent. In 2008, among the population of the United States aged 12 or older, nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers was the second most prevalent type of illicit drug use, after marijuana use.
When used properly under medical supervision, prescription opiates enable individuals with chronic pain to lead productive lives. However, when taken without a physician’s oversight and direction, opiates can cause serious adverse health effects, resulting in dependence, abuse, and death. As with any controlled substance, there is a risk of abuse of methadone and other opiates. Methadone is an extensively tested, federally approved, and widely accepted method of treating addiction to prescription pain relievers or opiates.
For more than 30 years, this synthetic prescription drug has been used for pain management and treatment for addiction to heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs. The efficacy and lower cost of methadone has resulted in its being prescribed for pain management. Prescriptions for methadone have increased by nearly 700 percent from 1998 through 2006. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of poisoning deaths involving methadone increased nearly 7-fold from almost 790 in 1999 to almost 5,420 in 2006, which is the most rapid increase among opioid analgesics and other narcotics involved in poisoning deaths.
The age-specific rates of methadone death are higher for persons age 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 than for other age groups. However, the rate of methadone deaths in younger individuals (age 15 to 24) increased 11-fold from 1999 through 2005. Deaths from methadone and other opiates may actually be underreported. There is no comprehensive database of drug-related deaths in the United States. The lack of standardized reporting by Medical Examiners precludes a uniform definition of cause of death on death certificates.
The Controlled Substances Act ( 21 U.S.C. 801 et seq. ) requires that every person who dispenses or who proposes to dispense controlled narcotics, including methadone, whether for pain management or opioid treatment obtain a registration from Drug Enforcement Administration. Unfortunately there is no requirement as a condition of receiving the registration that these practitioners receive any education on the use of these controlled narcotics, including methadone. Current Federal oversight of methadone and other opioids is inadequate to address the growing number of opioid-related overdoses and deaths.
Federal legislation is needed to avert opioid abuse, misuse, and death, without reducing patient access to needed care.
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