releases: https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/video-release-addiction-equal-opportunity-destroyer-greg-walden-speaks
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://walden.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/video-release-addiction-equal-opportunity-destroyer-greg-walden-speaks | VIDEO RELEASE: Addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer, Greg Walden speaks in support of plans to combat opioid abuse | 2016-05-11 | 2016 | 2016-05 | Republican | House | OR | Greg Walden | W000791 | walden.house.gov | legacy | VIDEO RELEASE: Addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer, Greg Walden speaks in support of plans to combat opioid abuse Click here or on the image below to watch Walden's remarks WASHINGTON, DC After meeting with Oregonians in Bend, Medford, and Hermiston last week on drug addiction, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) addressed the House today on a bipartisan plan to help combat opioid abuse. Walden spoke in support of H.R. 4641, which would address the pain prescribing practices contributing to the crisis. It would ensure that health care professionals have access to up-to-date guidelines and best practices for treating patients with acute and chronic pain. The bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support today by a vote of 412-4. This is a very important bipartisan step forward to combat opioid abuse. This issue hits close to home. All of our homes. The state of Oregon ranked near the top or at the top for non-medical use of prescription pain relievers in the nation. With opioid prescriptions serving as a gateway to heroin, it's no surprise the deaths from drug overdoses have surpassed those of car accidents in my state, Walden said. Last week, in Medford and Bend and Hermiston I hosted roundtables with community leaders and affected families to talk about what they're seeing on the front lines. Physicians, first responders, members of law enforcement, families, all were there sharing their stories about how important the work we're doing here today is to them and our communities. All of them are on the ground combating this problem every day. We had excellent discussions. H.R. 4641, in addition to the seventeen other bipartisan bills we're voting on this week, will help combat this epidemic. This bill will help prevent lawful prescription use from spiraling into abuse by developing best practices for the treatment of pain. In Medford, I heard from a father who had seen the impacts of addiction on his own family. See, his sister, who was a nurse, died of an overdose after years of suffering from addiction and bouncing between pharmacies passing off forged prescriptions. He spoke about how better tracking and treatment could have helped catch his sister's problem earlier and perhaps made counseling more effective. As it was, she was only caught because two pharmacies in a small town happened to check with each other. You see, by then it was too late. And today this man is working to help his son with an addiction that started with a prescription for a high school sports injury. That drifted to a heroin addiction. He spoke to the importance of counseling, support, and trying to avoid addiction through better prescribing practices. Addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer. It affects all segments and regions of our country. And often the disease shows no symptoms. I congratulate my colleagues for their work, and I urge passage of this legislation. This week, the House is voting on a series of bipartisan proposals to tackle this growing epidemic. Click here for more information on the House's efforts to tackle the opioid epidemic head on. The Senate has also passed opioid proposals. The next step is for negotiators from the House and Senate to work out differences between the various plans. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |