McCaskill Delivers for Missouri on Federal Legislation Combatting Opioid Epidemic

Press Release

After the Missouri State Senate failed to create a state Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) for the sixth time earlier this year, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill has successfully ensured that St. Louis County will be eligible to apply for federal resources to combat Missouri's opioid epidemic.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which provides resources to states to combat the record number of prescription drug and heroin deaths happening across the country, was approved by the Senate today and is widely expected to be signed into law by the President later this week. Given Missouri's status as the only state without a PDMP, previous versions of the bill would likely have made Missouri ineligible to receive some of these federal resources. A motion shaped by McCaskill was successfully included, which enables St. Louis County's network of county-level PDMPs to be eligible to apply for federal resources.

The language McCaskill successfully added would allow local governments in Missouri with PMDPs to apply for a new Department of Health and Human Services grant to establish, maintain, or improve their local PDMPs. Without this provision, eligibility for this federal grant funding would have been limited to states.

"This bill will help save lives across the country, and Missouri faced the prospect of losing access to some resources to address what is absolutely a crisis in our state--it's good news that won't be the case," McCaskill said. "But our status as the only state without a PDMP means that we still can't benefit from these resources to the fullest extent, and that help won't find its way to every part of Missouri that needs it."

McCaskill has traveled to Jefferson City, Mo. to hold a field hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and highlight the national epidemic of increased opioid addiction, abuse, and overdose deaths.

She then detailed what she learned at her hearing in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who was recently named the leader of a multi-pronged effort focusing on addressing opioid and heroin abuse in rural areas and communities across the country.

Opioids are the most commonly prescribed pain medications, which include hydrocodone (e.g. Vicodin), oxycodone (e.g. OxyContin), and Oxymorphone (e.g. Opana). Four out of five heroin users started out misusing prescription opioid pain medications. Deaths from drug overdoses are steadily increasing, especially among older adults.

Among Midwestern states, Missouri ranks number one in the rate of prescription opioids sold in the region.

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