Pubdate: Tue, 08 Mar 2016 Source: Tampa Bay Times (FL) Copyright: 2016 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ Website: http://www.tampabay.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Note: Named the St. Petersburg Times from 1884-2011. Author: Vern Buchanan Note: U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Longboat Key Republican currently serving his fifth term, represents the 16th Congressional District, which spans parts of Southwest Florida, including Sarasota and Bradenton. He wrote this exclusively for the Tampa Bay Times. Page: A9 HEROIN EPIDEMIC DEMANDS A FEDERAL RESPONSE For millions of families, including those in our own Florida communities, a drug-fueled pattern of devastation and heartbreak has become a painful part of life. Too many of our loved ones are losing their struggle with heroin and other addictive substances. The facts are sobering. Thousands of Americans die each year from heroin, the most addictive drug on the planet. In Florida, heroin overdose deaths have increased 900 percent in recent years, rising from 48 in 2010 to 447 in 2014. Our heroin epidemic has become a public health and safety crisis. Spiking heroin use rates are being driven by a one-two punch of cheap, available heroin and prescription narcotic abuse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's why I'm championing two major bills that would bring federal resources to bear in giving addicts a path out of addiction and helping law enforcement reduce the supply of illegal drugs. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (HR 953) and the Stop Abuse Act (HR 3719) would devote funding to a wide range of law enforcement, treatment and prevention strategies. These bills represent a comprehensive approach to combating the heroin epidemic and include critical funding for state, local and nonprofit drug education efforts for teens and seniors; grants for treatment and prevention; and the creation of new veterans-specific drug treatment courts. Disrupting the local and global heroin supply chain is a critical piece of any antidrug effort. The Stop Abuse Act helps take drugs off the street by authorizing federal grants to combat drugs in areas that are significant centers of illegal drug production, manufacturing, importation or distribution. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, 21 Florida counties, including Hillsborough, met this definition last year. Combating addiction and substance abuse has long been one of my top priorities in Congress. I helped lead the fight against bogus 'pill mills' and spearheaded a successful effort that made it harder for abusers to obtain highly addictive narcotics. To gain ground on the addiction menace, we will all need to come to the table and work together. Key members of our community, including Sarasota County Sheriff Thomas Knight and Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube, support my approach - as do antidrug advocates such as Drug Free Manatee executive director Sharon Kramer and Mary Ruiz, CEO of behavioral health hospital Cornerstone. Most of us know someone personally, whether it is a member of the family or a friend, who is struggling with substance abuse. And that means most of us have witnessed the devastating effects addiction has on a person's family and loved ones. The fear, pain, despair, shame and frustration that so many of our neighbors feel because they are stuck in the spiral of addiction can be a crushing burden. Combating addiction requires everyone in the community to play an active role. I'm working to ensure that Congress does its part to recognize the severity of the problem and devote meaningful resources to address it. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom