Congress must expand anti-heroin efforts
Jody Daitchman was blindsided when her son Alex Laliberte overdosed on heroin in their Buffalo Grove home.
Alex had a history of drug misuse, but Jody didn't know that his drinking and smoking had escalated to other drugs. After all, she thought, only hard-core addicts used heroin.
Unfortunately, Alex's story is not unique. Heroin abuse has become a plague on our communities, taking a life every three days in Chicago's suburbs.
Nearly one quarter of people who try heroin become addicted, and their addiction frequently starts with recreational use of prescription drugs - the kind that we too often leave lying around in medicine cabinets without a second thought. In fact, nearly one-third of people who used illegal drugs for the first time began by taking prescription drugs.
Earlier this year, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues in Congress on a letter to the Obama administration asking them to address this problem. In response, the White House recently announced a small pilot program to reduce heroin abuse in the Northeast.
Anything we can do to combat this epidemic is a step in the right direction, but I am disappointed that the program will not help our communities in Illinois. Much more must be done. Our country desperately needs a comprehensive, long-term strategy to combat this epidemic.
As a co-chair of the Suburban Anti-Heroin Task Force, I am working with local leaders to find common-sense solutions to rid our communities of heroin and curb prescription drug abuse. I have led efforts in Congress to support local community organizations fighting heroin abuse, including grants to Lake County through the Drug-Free Communities Support Program.
I am also partnering with these local groups to increase access to naloxone, a prescription medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. When naloxone is injected during a suspected overdose, the drug helps restore breathing that stopped because of the drugs.
Saving someone during an overdose was once a complicated and potentially dangerous process involving a syringe, but naloxone now comes in a safe and easy-to-use nasal or auto-injectable form. In our communities, naloxone has already proven to be a powerful tool for overdose prevention, saving 30 lives in Lake County since Christmas Day.
That's 30 families who get more time with their loved ones because Lake County emergency personnel have been equipped with naloxone.
With increased access, The World Health Organization predicts naloxone could save another 20,000 lives every year.
Equipping emergency personnel is just the first step. During an overdose, the brain stem can die as quickly as in four minutes, but in Illinois it takes an average of six to 14 minutes for first responders to arrive. If more people had naloxone in their homes, more lives could be saved.
Recognizing the potential of this lifesaving drug, the Illinois House and Senate unanimously passed "Lali's Law" in a rare show of bipartisanship. Now that this important bill has become law, users and their loved ones will have increased access to lifesaving supplies.
"Lali's Law" is named after Alex. His sister and parents founded drug overdose prevention group Live4Lali in his memory. Alex's sister Chelsea Laliberte, who also helped co-found the Lake County Opioid Initiative, is just one example of the inspiring community leaders that are leading this fight on the local level.
Following the lead of these community leaders and our state-level legislators, we need to take up the case on the federal level. That's why I am a co-sponsor of the Opioid Overdose Reduction Act of 2015 and numerous other bills aimed at reducing heroin abuse.
I am working every day to convince my colleagues to set aside partisanship and pass this lifesaving law.
There are no easy solutions to the drug abuse epidemic, but I am committed to putting in the hard work required to make progress alongside our many community partners.
Bob Dold, a Republican from Kenilworth, is U.S. Representative for the 10th Congressional District.