news

This month, Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) coauthored a letter with seven of his colleagues from Upstate New York, urging the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Michael Botticelli to host a community forum in Upstate New York with the aim of advancing the state’s efforts to fight overdoses, particularly those resulting from heroin and prescription drug use.

Between 2009 and 2013, 12 upstate New York counties saw the number of heroin overdoses jump by 417 percent and in 2014, New York State had 2,300 drug overdose deaths.

“These numbers are staggering and something must be done,” the letter states.

The letter, attached and copied below, was signed by a bipartisan group of New York Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Reps. Paul Tonko (NY-20), Chris Gibson (NY-19), Richard Hanna (NY-22), Tom Reed (NY-23), John Katko (NY-24), Louise Slaughter (NY-25), Brian Higgins (NY-26), and Chris Collins (NY-27)

# # #

Michael Botticelli
Director
Office of National Drug Control Policy
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Director Botticelli:

Thank you for your continuous efforts to prevent and treat prescription drug abuse and heroin use throughout the country. As you know, no community is untouched by this epidemic, with deaths from drug overdoses now out numbering deaths from motor vehicle crashes. In 2014, overdose deaths involving prescription opioids totaled 18,893 and heroin accounted for 10,574 deaths.

It has come to our attention that the Office of National Drug Control Policy will host community forums across the country to address this epidemic through discussions of best practices and evidence-based initiatives focused on preventing and treating prescription drug abuse and heroin use. We write today to request a forum in Upstate New York.

Between 2009 and 2013, 12 upstate New York counties saw the number of heroin overdoses jump by 417 percent and in 2014, New York State had 2,300 drug overdose deaths. These numbers are staggering and something must be done.

The state has taken measures to fight prescription drug abuse and heroin use by training 85,000 people to use Naloxone, a drug to reverse overdoses. Naloxone reversed 2,500 overdoses in this past year alone. New York has also agreed to join the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Prescription Monitoring Program, which will allow New York to share data on prescription drug abuse and heroin use with other states.

It is imperative that we continue to work together to advance policy and legislation which will curb this opioid abuse epidemic. We respectfully request full consideration of hosting a forum in Upstate New York.