CHARLESTON – West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey joined U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and six other attorneys generals to discuss a new plan to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic.
The six other state attorneys generals included Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Sean Reyes of Utah, Brad Schimel of Wisconsin, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Ken Paxton of Texas and Mike DeWine of Ohio.
Sessions said the nation is facing the deadliest drug epidemic of its history.
“Make no mistake,” Session said. “What we’re talking about today is not business as usual. It is the resolute policy of this administration and this Department of Justice to reduce these overdose deaths, to reduce addiction and to reduce the amount of prescription opioids that are afoot in our country today.”
In 2016, 64,000 Americans lost their lives to opioid addiction. That number was 52,000 the year before.
Preliminary data suggests that 2017 was worse than both of the previous years.
Morrisey applauded the Justice Department’s formation of the Prescription Interdiction and Litigation task force.
The task force will target opioid manufacturers and distributors, examine potential legislative and regulatory changes in existing law and assist the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and law enforcement at all levels.
“I commend Attorney General Sessions for his leadership in this area,” Morrisey said. “Our office has been as aggressive as any to ensure accountability within the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Morrisey said eradicating this deadly scourge requires a holistic solution from a supply, a demand and an educational perspective.
“This includes removing barriers within government where significant challenges remain,” Morrisey said.
Sessions said they will continue to attack the epidemic at every angle.
“We embrace the goals the president has given us,” he said.
DeWine said the state of Ohio is losing on average 15 citizens every day to opioid addiction.
Shapiro said Pennsylvania is also losing on average 15 citizens per day to the epidemic.
“No one isn’t touched by this epidemic,” Shapiro said. “I fundamentally believe collaboration is key and we cannot arrest our way out of this.”
Morrisey said the pharmaceutical system is flawed and needs to be changed.
“We need to change the underlying policies,” he said. “Pills remain the principle pathway to heroin and fentanyl.”
Morrisey said we also need treatment for drug addiction.
Earlier this month, Morrisey proposed a five-point legislative strategy in recommending a significant surge in law enforcement and prosecutions, anti-retaliation protection for prescribers, tough prevention measures in Medicaid, mandatory checks of the state’s prescription drug monitoring database and adoption of a three-day limit for all initial opioid prescriptions.