Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) has supported the passage of 18 bills aimed at stopping drug abuse in Oklahoma communities. Two of the 18 bills included amendments from Mullin that will ensure Oklahoma’s rural and tribal areas benefit from federal efforts to fight prescription drug abuse. 

“Most painkillers, like hydrocodone and oxycodone, are opioids, and they are highly addictive. What we’re seeing is that many people who are prescribed painkillers after accidents or surgeries become addicted to the medication. When they can’t easily get the pills anymore, they may turn to illegal opioid drugs, like heroin,” said Mullin.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Public Health, Oklahoma’s accidental drug overdose death rate increased nearly fourfold from 1999 to 2014. In 2014, Oklahoma had the tenth highest drug overdose death rate in the nation, and more people died from overdose deaths than in car accidents.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a series of bills focused on several areas of the opioid crisis, including: addressing opioid addiction among veterans; helping babies who are born with an opioid dependence due to their mothers’ addictions; reviewing and updating the best practices in pain management; and making sure there are enough resources to support prevention and treatment efforts in communities across the nation.

Mullin has been working to make sure Oklahoma’s rural and tribal areas are included in the federal efforts to stop opioid abuse.

The Opioid Review Modernization Act of 2016 (H.R. 4982) included an amendment offered by Mullin to make sure tribal areas are included in an upcoming assessment of drug treatment centers. The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016 (H.R. 5046) included an amendment from Mullin that will ensure the U.S. Attorney General considers the needs of tribal and rural communities when awarding federal grants in support of community efforts to stop opioid abuse.

“Two of the five counties in Oklahoma that have the highest rates of overdose deaths are in my district: Coal and Muskogee counties. The opioid crisis has hit our communities particularly hard,” Mullin added. “I’m in Congress to be the voice for rural Oklahoma, and that’s why I’ll continue to stay actively involved in the federal effort to fight this crisis.”

A complete list of the bills passed by the U.S. House of Representatives can be found at www.repcloakroom.house.gov.

###