[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 152 (Tuesday, October 29, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7611-S7612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL MEDICINE ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, the Centers for Disease Control has 
declared the misuse and abuse of some prescription and over-the-counter 
medicines in the United States to be an epidemic. According to the most 
recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, NSDUH, there were over a 
quarter of a million new nonmedical users of prescription drugs in the 
past year and 1.9 million new nonmedical users of either prescription 
or over-the-counter pain relievers. These staggering numbers reflect 
the urgent need to raise awareness about the dangers associated with 
medicine abuse. To this end, October has been designated National 
Medicine Abuse Awareness Month.
  Millions of Americans are prescribed medicines every year to treat 
the symptoms of a variety of injuries and illnesses, from depression to 
the common cold. Many of these patients do not use the entire amount of 
medication they were prescribed and either forget about or do not know 
how to properly dispose of the leftover drug. As a result, half-filled 
bottles remain in medicine cabinets across the country for months or 
years. And many of these medicines, when not properly used or 
administered, can be just as deadly and addictive as street drugs like 
methamphetamine or cocaine. Indeed, according to the NSDUH, almost 70 
percent of those who abused prescription drugs last year obtained them 
from a friend or relative, many of whom may have had excess drugs 
remaining in a family medicine cabinet.
  As a result, Federal law enforcement and drug policy organizations 
like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy, as well as national advocacy groups such as the 
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the Consumer Healthcare 
Products Association, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, are 
reaching out to community coalitions throughout the Nation to help 
raise awareness and address the problem head on.
  For example, in my home State of Iowa, the Van Buren County SAFE 
Coalition--with the help of the local pharmacy and the Van Buren County 
Reserve Officers--organizes regular drug take-back events at various 
locations throughout the county to provide an avenue to properly 
dispose of excess prescription drugs. Additionally, the local pharmacy 
there has started a take-back program that allows the pharmacy to 
collect unused and expired medication at any time. Another example of 
the response to this crisis is the Gateway Impact Coalition, located in 
Clinton, IA, that has collected nearly 3,500 pounds of old or unwanted 
medicine from residents in Clinton and Jackson Counties since 2008.
  We can stop the growing problem of medicine abuse, but it will 
require all sectors of the community to join together to make it 
happen. I applaud the work of community coalitions, such as the Van 
Buren County SAFE Coalition and the Gateway Impact Coalition, along 
with many others throughout Iowa and the Nation. I urge my colleagues 
to do all they can in their home States to make their constituents 
aware of the dangers associated with the misuse and abuse of 
prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

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