Moms’ advocacy group, national orgs call on Governors to do more to combat opioid abuse and overdose

The group Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse is joining with 27 national groups to call on Governors to do more to protect Americans from opioid addiction and overdose.

The group sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and Governors from 18 other states asking for more action on the nation’s synthetic opioid crisis. Such drugs pedaled on the streets and on the black market can contain lethal doses of fentanyl, leading to overdoses across the U.S. In Florida, seven of every 10 pills seized by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) contained lethal doses of fentanyl, according to Attorney General Ashley Moody.

In the first half of 2023, more than 7,000 people died as a result of overdose in Florida, according to NBC 6 South Florida, which reported on a press conference Moody gave on the issue last week.

The groups are asking Governors for five actions: improve access to, and innovation on, overdose reversal agents; deploy funding for opioid response and grants; collect actionable data on overdose cases; support first responders; and engage in awareness and education efforts.

“Without the most effective resources, more Americans will die unnecessarily from fentanyl,” the groups’ letter reads. “We need to equip communities to respond and call on our governors and all elected officials to act now to ensure every tool in the fentanyl overdose and opioid epidemic toolkit is put to use.”

The groups cited National Institute on Drug Abuse data finding that more than 200 people die each day in the U.S. from synthetic opioid use, such as fentanyl.

“Opioid overdoses know no bounds and often impact the most vulnerable,” the groups wrote. “The increased lethality of synthetic opioids exacerbates these dangers, and the cost of lives is stark.

Additionally, the letter cites DEA findings that drug poisonings, including from hidden substances like fentanyl, are the leading cause of death of Americans ages 18 to 45.

“Often hidden in counterfeit prescription pharmaceuticals like Adderall, Xanax, and Oxycontin, it’s so lethal that just two milligrams, the size of a pencil tip, can kill,” the letter reads. “In fact, Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.”

Specifically, the group is calling state-level policies “to enable access to all reversal agents.” Leaders are also asking for states to implement additional funding, and enhance transparency on existing funding, for job training, treatment, early intervention and housing and recovery support initiatives.

The groups want states to collect robust data on opioid and overdose-related incidents “to accurately understand the scope of the evolving epidemic so that they can implement the most effective policy solutions.”

The letter also calls for better training and tools for first responders providing immediate care to those suffering from opioid abuse or overdose, and to modernize education surrounding drug overdose. That includes updating language to better support prevention efforts, such as terms like “poisonings” to reduce stigma and more consistently referring to drugs as “counterfeit prescription pharmaceuticals.”

Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse was founded in 2011 by Janet Janes, a mom whose son, Christopher, succumbed to an overdose. The organization focuses on prevention, education and reducing stigma, noting that addiction is not a choice, nor a moral failing.

Other signatories on the letter include the Addiction Professionals of North Carolina; Arrive Alive California; Caregiver Action Network; DAP Health; Dreams for Change; Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall; Facing Fentanyl; Families Against Fentanyl; Friends of Recovery New York; International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium; Kelsie’s Cause; Liver Coalition of San Diego; Lost Voices of Fentanyl; National Behavioral Health Association of Providers; National Safety Council; Overdose Lifeline; Overtaken; PainScript; Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association; Shatterproof; The Resilient Journey; TrueNorth Wellness Services; Voices for Awareness Foundation; V.O.I.D.; and Will Bright Foundation.