Schimel Reaches Out To Community Leaders To Reduce Drug Abuse

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel is urging community leaders in Madison to help stem abuse of prescription painkillers in the community.

Schumel told downtown Rotary members that they could do that by getting people to store opiates where others can’t get to them. He said they could help “spread the word” about how to properly use, store and dispose of prescription painkillers, which he said kill more people than handguns.

“Who here would store a loaded handgun on the kitchen counter at home when you’ve got teenagers coming in and out of the house?” he asked. “Nobody would do that! Yet, not very many people think twice about leaving prescription opiates in their medicine cabinet.”

Schimel said 70 percent of those abusing prescription painkillers got them from friends or family.

“Either they shared it with them or they stole it from a friend and family member,” he said. “Seventy percent! That is a tremendous opportunity for us. Because if we can do simple things like use only as prescribed to us. Store them safely and securely. And dispose of them properly when we’re done using them. We can knock out 70 percent of the problem.”

Lynne Myers, president and CEO of Agrace HospiceCare in Madison, said an increasing number of patients have their opiates taken by a family member.

“It’s really begun to absorb a lot of our time investigating where these drugs are going when patients aren’t getting the necessary painkillers they need,” said Myers.

In mid-September, the Justice Department, along with state health officials, unveiled a $1.7 million ad campaign against abuse of prescription painkillers.

Addiction to prescription painkillers, like Vicodan and oxycodone, can prompt people to turn to heroin, which is cheaper. Schimel said law enforcement first saw elevated heroin use in Wisconsin 10 years ago. He said it’s a “full-blown public health crisis” that requires a focus on treatment in addition to continuing law enforcement.

Schimel said deaths from opiates quadrupled from 2000 to 2013.