Press Releases
Wenstrup Testifies Before Energy and Commerce Committee on Opioid Epidemic
Washington,
October 11, 2017
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Hailey Sadler
(2022253164)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Brad Wenstrup (OH-02) testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as part of a bipartisan “Member Day” on the opioid crisis. The bipartisan Member Day allowed representatives both on and off the committee to testify about the opioid epidemic, share local and personal stories, and highlight potential legislative solutions. A full video recording is available here and key excerpts from Congressman Wenstrup’s statements are available below:
On the impact to Ohio’s Second District… “My office recently sent a survey to the constituents of our district, and we asked them to share their experiences with the opioid epidemic. And the results are heartbreaking, as you might imagine. We received hundreds of responses, up to seven pages of responses, and I just wanted to share a couple of those with you: One said, “My brother unfortunately became addicted as a teenager. He is a very lucky one at 33 years old he is still fighting every day to stay sober. These drugs have no place in our country, they are ruining our youth, our future. Another women said, “I have 4 boys and 3 of them are struggling with this addiction…the cost of going to a methadone clinic is very difficult…the cost of treatment facilities is too expensive…I am going broke trying to get my children sober.” Statistics on overdoses in Ohio… “Clearly, this epidemic is devastating for Southern Ohio, as it is across the country. In one county alone, the overdose death rate was 37.5 per 100,000 residents. In another county, 318 residents died of an unintentional drug overdose in 2016. This spring, the Columbus Dispatch reported that at least 4,149 Ohioans died from unintentional drug overdoses in 2016. And one local newspaper called the overdoses the “new normal” in that county.” On preventing this epidemic for future generations… “This sheriff directs an essay contest asking local students to write an essay about the dangers of opioids and how they hope to become the generation to stop the epidemic. As I said before, he said he can’t incarcerate his way out of this. We can’t always treat our way out of this. But I hope we take some time in this process for a long-term vision of how we can prevent people from ever getting in this situation to begin with.”
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