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Tisei: Addressing the problem of OxyContin abuse...
s a member of the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, I have learned that without a doubt, the biggest substance abuse problem in Massachusetts is the growing epidemic of OxyContin abuse that is spreading throughout the state.
As part of the FY'05 budget, the legislature created a special commission to address the impacts and effects this powerful drug is having on adults and youths alike. The purpose of the special commission is to try and determine how Massachusetts can best respond to this enormous problem that is destroying lives of all ages and races.
Last week, The OxyContin Commission held one of its hearings here at the State House. There was compelling testimony from various state and local officials, along with parents of young people who have been significantly impacted by OxyContin use. Interim Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, Paul Cote was just one of many speakers to provide testimony at the hearing. Commissioner Cote detailed several grim statistics showing how the use of opioids, which includes OxyContin, and the number of opioid-related deaths and hospitalizations has skyrocketed in the last 15 years.
According to the Commissioner, in 1990 there were 94 opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts, compared to 2003 where there were 574 opioid-related deaths, a fatality increase of over 600 percent in 13 years. During this same time, opioid-related deaths increased among all age groups from 15 to 54 years-of-age.
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