West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Tuesday proposed a five-point strategy to rein in opioid abuse in his hard-hit corner of Appalachia, from launching an “enforcement surge” of 150 state troopers to limiting certain prescriptions for painkillers to just three days.
The legislative package would shield physicians who decline to prescribe opioids, tighten prescription practices under the state Medicaid program and force doctors to cross-check a prescribing database every time they write a script for opioids, instead of just once a year.
“This package of ideas will significantly reduce opioid abuse in West Virginia,” said Mr. Morrisey, a Republican. “We must take every necessary step to reduce the amount of pills prescribed within our state.”
Opioid abuse is a nationwide problem that kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. Yet, West Virginia is suffering more than most states. Its rate of drug-overdose death leads the nation, at 52 per 100,000 people, after its tiniest towns were flooded with hundreds of thousands of pills.
“It’s been ground-zero for the worst abuses,” said Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
His committee pointed fingers at the Drug Enforcement Administration on Monday, saying it has been an unwilling partner in efforts to understand why West Virginia received far more pills than it could possibly need.
“We’ve had it with the DEA,” Mr. Walden said, accusing the agency of “hiding behind counsel” as he held up pages or redacted documents.
“They should be on ’Slow-Walking With the Stars,’” the Oregon Republican quipped, flanked by committee members from both parties during a press conference.
The Drug Enforcement Administration disagreed with his assessment of the investigation.
“DEA has cooperated with the House Energy and Commerce Committee over the last six months to provide it with a wide range of responsive materials to the maximum extent possible. DEA looks forward to its continued work with the Committee on its investigation and is committed to using all of its available resources to combat the opioid epidemic,” the agency said in written statement.
Mr. Walden wants to know why the DEA sharply decreased its use of immediate suspension orders (ISOs) that would freeze suspicious shipments to West Virginia.
The decline occurred even before Congress breezily passed a 2016 bill that made it harder for the DEA to issue ISOs, though many federal lawmakers now say they didn’t realize the intent of the law and should repeal or amend it.
Mr. Walden said the DEA hasn’t offered enough input on whether the changes hamstrung the agency.
“That’s what we’re trying to ask. They need to tell us, was that a problem or not?” he said.
In Washington, the House’s tax-writing committee delved into the opioid crisis’ impact on people who rely on Medicare for their insurance.
“Unfortunately, there is a lack of available data regarding the Medicare population and the extent to which opioid abuse, overprescribing, and diversion is an issue for seniors and the disabled. Additionally, gaps in coverage for those that suffer from opioid addiction exist,” said Rep. Peter Roskam, Illinois Republican and chairman of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on health.
At the White House, President Trump pointed to the opioid epidemic to lobby for a wall along the southern U.S. border, saying it will keep drug traffickers and their wares from pouring into the country.
Democrats and other critics say Mr. Trump is dithering in the face of the crisis, focusing on border security and slashing his drug policy office instead of lobbying for a massive investment of taxpayer funding in treatment and other reforms.
As federal efforts evolve, West Virginia’s Mr. Morrisey is forging ahead with aggressive changes at the state level. He said state police need 150 new troopers and 50 investigators to take on the opioid problem.
His proposal would create a drug-investigation unit in the attorney general’s office and would limit supplies of prescription opioids for acute pain to just three days, saying longer durations increase the risk of addiction.
“This epidemic has already claimed far too many lives,” Mr. Morrisey said, “and this proposal continues our commitment to do everything in our power to help West Virginia reach her full potential.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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