[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 129 (Tuesday, July 30, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1010-E1011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPANDING FINDINGS FOR FEDERAL OPIOID RESEARCH AND TREATMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. TROY BALDERSON

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2019

  Mr. BALDERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3153, the 
Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment, or EFFORT 
Act. This bill is of particular importance to me, as I represent an 
area that has been devastated by the opioid crisis over the past 
decade, and I am privileged to speak today on the important of this 
bill.
  In my home state of Ohio, the rate of opioid-related deaths is more 
than double the national average. In this regard, Ohio ranks as one of 
the top-five states with the highest rates of opioid-related deaths. 
What's more alarming, however, is the rate at which the number of 
opioid overdoses have increased: twenty-eight percent from July 2016 
through September 2017. That's barely more than a year during which 
opioid overdoses grew by nearly thirty percent. These statistics should 
terrify every parent, sibling, teacher, caregiver, and friend, because 
opioid addiction is not

[[Page E1011]]

confined to any one geographic, socioeconomic, or other type of 
demographic. Rather, this epidemic is ravaging communities all around 
our country.
  How did this epidemic start? Let's go back to 2012, when there were 
more opioid prescriptions in my home state of Ohio than there were 
people. Prescriptions to opioids were handed out like candy, and there 
was little-to-no regulation on these highly-addictive drugs. Someone 
could sustain a simple injury--say, to their knee or their back--
perhaps even have surgery, and be prescribed highly-addictive opioids 
for their pain. With no oversight, Americans everywhere were slowly 
becoming addicted to these substances, with their tolerance levels 
increasing, therefore requiring them to take higher doses to experience 
the same level of pain relief. Of course, these drugs are not cheap. 
Often times, when the drugs become too costly or a prescription ran 
out, these now-addicted opioid users would turn to street drugs, such 
as heroin, to feed their addiction. In Ohio, four out of five heroin 
addicts began their drug use with prescription painkillers.
  Often times, once an addiction starts, it's near impossible to break 
the cycle. Truly, the best way to treat addiction is to stop it before 
it even starts. Of course, we know now that opioid addiction is 
completely preventable, and fighting this growing epidemic will take 
the work of many committed groups. This multifaceted crisis needs the 
support of police departments, communities, families and schools, 
government at all levels, and the medical and science communities. 
That's where the EFFORT Act comes in.
  This critical piece of legislation will direct the National Science 
Foundation to study the effects of the opioid epidemic and will require 
this body to consult with the National Institute of Health--and vice 
versa--in their research of opioid addiction. I'm a firm believer that 
research is one of the most important tools in fighting illnesses like 
addiction. Of course, this is just one of many pieces in the vast 
puzzle of putting an end to the opioid epidemic. This bill is a step in 
the right direction, and we need to continue our efforts to fight this 
epidemic. I am proud to cosponsor the EFFORT Act, and I thank my 
colleague from Virginia, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton for introducing 
this critical legislation. I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 3153 so 
our country can better prevent opioid addiction.

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