Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Issuance of Opioid Council Report

Acting State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said, “Opioid addiction and abuse is a tremendous problem that affects Alabama in many different ways. Our hospitals, schools, churches and prisons are all struggling to deal with the problems caused by addiction and by increasing numbers of opioid deaths. The comprehensive action plan the Council has developed includes improvements to the Alabama Prescription Drug Monitoring Program that make it easier for prescribers to identify opioid abuse and to motivate abusers to find help for themselves, their families and communities. We are encouraged that the Council has offered strategies that have the potential to reverse this crisis that affects so many Alabamians, and appreciate the input of so many individuals to find effective solutions.”
 

“After working with the dedicated people who have given so much of their time and concern to this Council and its subcommittees, I am heartened that we can make progress to fight the terrible blight of opioid abuse in Alabama,” said Attorney General Steve Marshall. “I want to thank Governor Ivey for bringing us together in a commitment to search for solutions and work toward implementing them. I have been proud to serve with Commissioner Beshear and Dr. Harris in this vital endeavor, and I am grateful to all the members of this Council and its subcommittees for their outstanding achievement in bringing forth these valuable recommendations.”
 

The Council’s report presents a four-pronged action plan to address prevention of opioid misuse, intervention within the law enforcement and justice systems, treatment of those with opioid use disorders, and community response that engages the people of Alabama in finding solutions at a local level. Some of the major findings are summarized below:
 

 

PREVENTION

• Advocate legislation in the 2018 session to specifically prohibit trafficking in fentanyl and carfentanil, which is particularly important because vastly smaller amounts of these than other opioids can be deadly; for example, a lethal dose of fentanyl is 1000 times less than that of heroin, and the threshold amounts for the crimes of trafficking in fentanyl and carfentanil would better be measured in micrograms;
• As overdoses are 50 times greater for those leaving incarceration or other enforced abstinence, establish a process for the Department of Mental Health to reduce the stigma of medication assisted treatment, and begin a pilot program by the Department of Corrections in partnership with the Board of Pardons and Paroles to use naloxone, counseling and life skills to help released inmates remain drug free.

• Promote adequate funding for treatment services and recovery support;
• Establish collaboration between the Department of Mental Health and recovery support providers to increase access;
• Support creating two addiction medicine fellowships to train Alabama physicians to recognize and treat substance abuse;
• Expand access and target effective treatment and prevention programs to areas where there is greater need;
• Improve education of professionals through continuing education for licensing and expand postsecondary and graduate curriculums.