Senate panel holds hearing on opioid abuse 'epidemic,' solutions

The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee today held a hearing to examine solutions to the rising trend in opioid abuse and overdose deaths in the U.S. Witnesses included Baltimore Health Commissioner Leana Wen, M.D.; Robert Valuck, a professor at the University of Colorado’s Scaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, which houses the state’s Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention; and Eric Spofford, CEO of two substance abuse treatment programs in New Hampshire. “This is a complex problem that calls for action by all who have a role in preventing opioid abuse and responding to this problem, whether it is doctors, the health department, law enforcement, or families,” said Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN). “We look forward to continuing this conversation in the HELP Committee.”