2004 Press Release Archive

November 9, 2004: Announcement of Inclusion of Buprenorphine to Treat Opiate Addiction

While we face threats from al Qaeda to our national security, an internal crisis also threatens our safety: substance abuse and drug related crime. More than 50,000 people die each year from drug- related causes. Of the estimated 19 million people suffering from drug abuse, only 3 million receive treatment. Addiction and drug abuse cost U.S. taxpayers over $276 billion dollars annually; the economic costs of alcohol and other drug abuse in Washington State alone is over 2 ½ Billion dollars, according to the state's Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA).

Washington State is taking powerful steps to alleviate this situation. Governor Gary Locke and Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen have gone after underage drinking, are targeting methamphetamine, and are seeking expanded drug treatment as an alternative to imprisonment. DASA under director Ken Stark promotes prevention and treatment strategies that prevent the misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, and support recovery from the disease of chemical dependency. Local professional leaders, many here today, have contributed enormously and are the heart and soul of the effort.

Yet work needs to be done. According to DEA's report this year, in Washington State:

• Cocaine and crack are "readily available." Federal authorities seized 480 kilograms in the state in 2003.
• Heroin is "smuggled from Mexico to Washington by a variety of methods;" 14 kilograms were seized last year.
• Methamphetamine is "one of the most widely abused controlled substances"-- 894 meth labs were seized in the state in 2003 by DEA and state and local enforcement.
• Club drugs including Ecstasy are coming into the state in overwhelming numbers: Federal authorities in Washington State seized 6500 ecstasy tablets in 2003.
• Marijuana is "readily available." Over 10,000 kilograms were seized by federal law enforcement alone last year in Washington.
• OxyContin is "often the target of criminals involved in burglary and armed robbery" in Washington. In addition, enforcement teams "have found high school students selling OxyContin." For all prescription drugs, DEA reports a major problem of "illegal dispensing and prescribing by practitioners."

Comprehensive recovery programs combined with community outreach will reduce drug addiction and help area residents return to and maintain healthy, productive lives. Today we are announcing and celebrating a new 350-person outpatient facility opening in Lakewood/Tacoma, Tacoma Treatment Solutions, with an additional clinic opening by the end of the year in Vancouver. These facilities together with three others (Federal way, Renton, and Lynwood) -- will offer buprenorphine, an anti- opiate treatment approved last year by the FDA and in its infancy nationwide, to address a formerly largely unmet need for persons "in early opioid addictions, for detoxification from opioids, and as the first line medication for individuals not at the chronic stages of an opioid addiction."

The program can help individuals return to drug abstinence and avoids withdrawal symptoms of other treatments. It will be an enormous help in meeting the needs of persons addicted to the new wave of OxyContin and painkillers including prescriptions, individuals who might not necessarily need traditional methadone maintenance. Methadone, which the facilities will also offer as needed, will be used for more advanced or chronic addictions.

The need is intense: data from the University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute shows that treatment admissions for prescription opiates has more than tripled since 1999 right here in the Seattle area. Our local treatment program leaders report that prescription painkiller addiction has been our fastest growing population, including a significant increase in "oral" users with the majority as OxyContin.

For the over two million heroin, opiate and prescription drug addicts, most of whom lack treatment, it's time to help them become productive citizens. Drug abuse knows no societal limitation, and we need to reach everyone with all the tools at our disposal.

We must face the fact that the treatment gap has remained a crisis for decades. We must adjust our strategies. New technologies and medications can drastically reduce the gap in treatment available versus the needed capacity, both in cities as well as rural areas with limited traditional residential treatment.

Another profound development in which Washington State is a national pioneer is new live, interactive online drug and alcohol treatment services for adults and teens. Online treatment now complements traditional strategies by providing confidentiality and at-home ease via the Internet. CRC's first year data from 600 online clients and over 15,000 online sessions of its eGetgoing (Internet videostream treatment) division shows an 81% completion rate versus 40% reported by HHS for traditional treatment - twice the completion rate. Online treatment has enormous promise.

The White House Drug Policy Office's five-year anti-drug media campaign is focused on TV ads educating teenagers about the dangers of drug abuse and encouraging parents to talk to their children. This campaign has contributed to a continuing decline in drug use. Ad campaigns work, especially when they are national- local partnerships.

Drug courts, which allow mandatory treatment rather than incarceration for non-violent offenders, is another major step that makes absolute sense. Drug courts have increased grew from a dozen in 1995 to over 800 today. Approximately 17,000 offenders graduate each year from these superb programs.

One legislative solution we need immediately is "parity", providing equal health insurance for drug and alcohol treatment as for other illnesses. In 2000 we succeeded in generating substance abuse treatment parity for all federal employees - but the private sector deserves no less.

As we confront national security threats abroad, it is equally important that we deter threats to our domestic security. Confronting drug addiction through science-based treatment must be a core principle of Washington State's response.

Barry McCaffrey, a four-star general, was U.S. Drug Policy Director from 1996-2001 and now is Distinguished International Security Professor at West Point. Dr. Barry Karlin is Chairman and CEO of CRC Health Group, the nation's largest substance abuse treatment provider www.crchealth.com.