ICYMI: Rep. Hudson Hosts Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Roundtable

CONCORD, N.C. - Yesterday, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) hosted a roundtable discussion in Charlotte with Mayor Dan Clodfelter, Fred Wells Brason II, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police-Department Captain Corte Vorhees and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Director of Arts, Health and Physical Education Debra Kaclik to examine the growing prescription drug and opioid abuse crisis in our local communities.

As a Member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Rep. Hudson is deeply invested in working with local officials to determine how we can improve public health response efforts to prevent and treat prescription drug and heroin abuse to restore our communities and save lives. The Subcommittee held a hearing on March 26 to examine and review the growing threat of prescription drug and heroin abuse from a local and state perspective with key witness Fred Wells Brason II, Executive Director at Project Lazarus, a community based opioid overdose prevention model in Moravian Falls, North Carolina.

Please see below for highlights and excerpts from the roundtable discussion.

Congressman Richard Hudson met with Charlotte’s mayor, police and educators in an effort to stop prescription drug overdoses and heroin use. Hudson said, “One pop of a prescription drug on the black market on the street can be as much as $50, but one pop of heroin is about $10 and so folks are getting addicted to these prescription drugs and then find that as a gateway into heroin use.” (WSOC-TV, 4/02/15)

Hudson wants the state and federal government to work together to stop the rise of prescription drug abuse in North Carolina. Hudson said,“Over 20,000 Americans die every year from opioid prescription drug overdoses and this is a preventable problem, but it is a growing crisis in the country. I want to raise the awareness of it, but I also want to talk about some of the things from the federal government that I can be doing to better coordinate with our local folks who are here on the front lines.” (TWC News Charlotte, 4/02/15)

Hudson brought together people from Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and local government to help combat a problem he says a large segment of the community is unaware of. (Cleve R Wootson, Jr., “Leaders: Charlotte-Mecklenburg needs more resources to fight opiate abuse,”Charlotte Observer, 4/01/15)