Dear Friends and Neighbors,
My 2016 Legislative Survey is available to take online, giving me another opportunity to gather valuable feedback from my constituents in Chisago County.
To take the survey, just click this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Barrett2016
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Also, don't forget to share it with your friends and family in District 32B!
Bipartisan Press Conference to Help Stop Opioid Abuse
Speaking to the press with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, Sen. Chris Eaton, representatives from Walgreens and others about federal and state efforts to combat opiate abuse. You can see one of the news stories about my bill here.
Last week, I was involved in a joint press conference regarding the federal Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and my legislation, HF 1503, allowing Minnesota pharmacies to voluntarily take back unused and expired prescription drugs and controlled substances. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, representatives from Walgreens and State Senator Chris Eaton, who lost a loved one to opioid abuse, joined me to talk about this important issue.
The fact of the matter is that prescription pain pills are being prescribed at record rates. Because of that, they are also being diverted from the medicine cabinets of mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, and “friends” at record rates for illegitimate purposes.
My bill, which has passed through committee and is awaiting action on the House floor, allows the public to dispose of unneeded and outdated prescription pain pills and other pharmaceuticals at their neighborhood pharmacy, which will help keep them out of the hands of people who would steal and sell them illegally for profit, preying on others who use and abuse them.
With over 19,000 deaths each year in the U.S. from opioid overdoses, I believe this step will help combat abuse of these drugs, which can also lead to later abuse of harder drugs like Heroin. This bill supports other initiatives like Minnesota’s prescription drug monitoring program that I was involved with a few years ago to help prevent doctor shopping for prescription medications, as well as our legislation that helped reduce the scourge of synthetic drugs. With constant vigilance and attention to this health crisis, we can reduce drug abuse and the related societal and financial costs which affect our community.
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Sincerely,
Bob