The 2023 Rx and Illicit Drug Summit wrapped up on Thursday in Atlanta after three days of medical professionals, law enforcement and policymakers getting together to discuss one of the most serious public health crises in the country. Since the start of the opioid crisis, more than one million lives have been lost to some form of overdose or reaction. Overdose deaths are at record rates as fentanyl has become nearly ubiquitous in the black market drug trade and overdosing from fentanyl does not take very high intake.
The Summit featured a congressional panel composed of a number of House members representing areas that are particularly hard hit and involved in the response from Washington D.C. Two Georgia House members were on the panel, Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA 1) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA 9). Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY 5), the Dean of the House who helped to launch the national summit, was also on the panel, joined by Rep. David Trone (D-MD 6) and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA 8).
Among a host of issues related to the pandemic, Rep. Carter and Rep. Clyde both pointed to shipments of drugs coming in from Mexico as one of the sources of the problem. Rep. Carter’s background as a pharmacist has informed his work on the issue, arguing for expanded access to naloxone, a life-saving drug that can combat opioid overdoses.
“If we lost 200 people in an airplane crash, we would stop every plane from flying right now and figure out what went wrong. Yet we continue to lose 200 people everyday to fentanyl poisoning. This has to stop and we have to secure the southern border,” said Carter. “We have to make sure that we have programs that work. Fentanyl poisoning is the number one cause of death for people ages 18 to 45.”
One startling statistic from the summit is the number from U.S. Customs and Border Protection about just how much fentanyl has already been seized this year at the southern border. Last year, they seized 15,000 pounds. Through the first quarter of this year, they had already seized 12,500 pounds. This could possibly be accounted for better inspection methods and catching a higher percentage but it could also mean illicit drug manufacturers are stepping up their efforts to ship more in.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Where we need to start is preventing opioids from getting into this country and preventing people from accessing the illegal drugs,” Clyde. “The vast amount of fentanyl comes from China and into the Mexican cartels who then push it across the southern border and it infiltrates every single solitary state of the union, making every state a border state and that’s the place we need to start to stop this epidemic.”
To learn more and find resources in your area: rx-summit.com
