New White House Policy Targets Prescription Drug Addiction
The White House has stepped up with a 2011 National Drug Control Strategy in an effort to shift the direction of the “war on drugs” in this country. The new strategy views drug abuse as a public health threat and addiction as a treatable illness. The main three foci of the new policy include a reduction in the nonmedical abuse of prescription drugs, driving under the influence of any mind altering substance, and prevention of drug experimentation and the development of addiction.
There are seven sections to the 108-page document that discuss “seeking early intervention opportunities in health care” and “integrating treatment for substance use disorders into mainstream health care and expanding support for recovery.” How do they intend to make it happen? With an interagency plan outlined in Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis, educational awareness, monitoring prescriptions, more drop-offs for unwanted and unused prescription medications, and enforcement of abuses of prescriptions.
Sarah T. Melton, PharmD, BCPP, CGP, FASCP, is the director of Addiction Outreach and an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Appalachian College of Pharmacy. She says: “The report is a comprehensive document that details the Obama administration’s strategy to combat the public health epidemic of drug use, with a focus on prescription drug abuse. Every pharmacist should read the strategy and decide where they, as a health care professional, fit in to be agents of change in fighting the prescription drug abuse epidemic across the United States.”
Some of the specific goals include:
- Lower recent drug abuse among those aged 12 to 17 by 15 percent and those aged 18 to 25 by 10 percent.
- Reduce the number of those addicted to drugs and alcohol by 15 percent.
- Lower number of deaths caused by drug abuse and addiction by 15 percent, drug-related morbidity by 15 percent.
- Decrease the incidents of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol by 10 percent.
Says Melton: “Do I think these goals are achievable? Yes, if health, government, education, law enforcement, and the business and faith communities come together with the treatment and recovery communities to move us toward a culture of prevention, a recovery-oriented system of care, and other systems-based solutions.”
