Confronting prescription drug abuse together (Gov. Jack A. Markell)

Anti-drug policy is often made in Washington but implemented on the front lines in our states, cities, suburbs and farms. To combat the growing damage done by illegal prescription drug use, we are turning to new technologies and working more closely together with a wide range of stakeholders.

Last week, Delaware was honored to host the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), R. Gil Kerkikowske, to mark another step on the difficult road to curbing prescription drug addiction. We are also proud of the work that Delaware Sen. Tom Carper has done on this issue in Washington. It’s always encouraging to see state and the federal government working together, particularly when the issue is deadly serious.

According to the ONDCP, drug-related deaths have doubled nationwide, surpassing homicides, suicides and gunshot wounds as causes of death since 1999. This increase is largely due to the abuse of prescription painkillers. This is a frightening statistic that has the potential to get much worse: In recent years, the number of individuals who, for the first time, consumed prescription drugs for a non-medical purpose exceeded the number of first-time marijuana users.

This is a substantial national problem that requires coordinated local solutions to address. We need to continue sharing information to ensure that we find the most effective approach to dealing with a problem that has fueled skyrocketing national statistics and heartbreaking local tragedies.

Our new law, which is similar to efforts in other states, received broad bipartisan support in the Delaware Legislature.  It authorizes the creation of a database of prescription information from pharmacies. This will help accomplish two things:

1. Doctors and pharmacists will be able to check the database and screen for abuse before giving prescriptions for controlled substances. This helps prevent “doctor shopping” by allowing the doctor to see if a patient has similar prescriptions from other medical providers.

2. Physicians and pharmacists can also easily verify that they are not prescribing drugs that could interact dangerously with existing prescriptions from other doctors. This can save lives and improve health outcomes for anyone taking more than one prescription drug.

Other states have implemented similar prescription drug monitoring programs and are collecting and analyzing prescription data more effectively. Now we will too, and we were grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.

Implementation of this law will take time: We need to get the technology in place and ensure that the most important part of the system — the people — understand how it can help save lives. Although we are at the beginning of that stage, it is important for us, together with our counterparts in other states and at the federal level, to continue looking toward the next step. Prescription drug abuse crosses state borders, so system interoperability, along with good, old-fashioned cooperation, could someday help save even more lives.