To the Editor:
We have reached a State of Emergency in this country regarding Fentanyl. According to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, “Fentanyl is the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered. It is everywhere. We must take every opportunity to spread the word to prevent fentanyl-related overdose death and poisonings from claiming scores of American lives.”
The number of overdose deaths per year involving opioids has jumped significantly in just a few years and we are losing a whole generation of kids. This surge has been largely driven by fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl is mixed in with other drugs to increase its potency, sold as powders and nasal sprays, and increasingly pressed into pills made to look like legitimate prescription opioids.
Effective opioid antagonists can help mitigate and reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The most commonly known one is Naloxone, also known as Narcan; however, several other opioid antagonists are also approved by the FDA. The recent downturn in overdose deaths is directly linked to the use of Narcan, which is great news! However, recent reports from first responders indicate that four milligrams of Naloxone is not having the same effect on Fentanyl overdoses, and stronger antagonists at the six- and eight-milligram levels are needed.
As your New York State Assemblyman and the Ranking Member of the Alcohol and Substance Use Committee, I have been working hard to stem the tide of this crisis. I have put forth a resolution to create an Opioid Awareness Day here in New York and have introduced a series of bills and co-sponsored other bills that will advance the understanding of opioid use and addiction, as well as the use of opioid antagonists to help lessen the effects of opioids:
- A7520 mandates that any distribution of opioids shall include an informational sheet concerning opioid overdose, opioid antagonists, addiction and withdrawal symptoms, safe disposal and storage, as well as where to find substance use services.
- A09841 will help reduce opioid prescription misuse by requiring people prescribing or dispensing opioids to counsel patients about the potential addictive properties of opioids and the possibility of alternate choices.
- A7306 provides another tool to receive information regarding the opioid history of a patient for informed treatment decisions and to prevent risk to patients with a history of opioid abuse.
- A10193 will require all FDA-approved opioid antagonists to be included in the state definition of opioid antagonists. By broadening this definition beyond just Naloxone, there is more opportunity for additional effective drugs to be used and slow the number of overdose deaths in the state.
The state legislature needs to focus more on Fentanyl, opioid use and the overdose crisis like a laser beam. Through a coordinated, focused effort, we can help save people from Fentanyl overdoses and help reverse the current crisis.
Keith Brown
Member of the Assembly, 12th A.D.