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Latta Leads Bipartisan Letter to Help Improve Outcomes for Americans Struggling with Addiction

“Our constituents are suffering, and the number of tragic overdoses and deaths only continue to climb.”

Washington, D.C. , April 13, 2021 | Rebecca Angelson (202.225.6405)

Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) led a bipartisan group of Representatives to send the National Institute on Drug Abuse a letter concerning the rise of methamphetamine-related use and overdose deaths during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The letter was signed by Representatives Latta, Peter Welch (D-VT), David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV1), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH16), Tim Ryan  (D-OH13), and David P. Joyce (R-OH14).

Read the complete letter here. An excerpt of the letter is below:

… From 2012-2018, rates of drug overdose deaths involving methamphetamine increased nearly five-fold in the United States. Ohio has been particularly hard hit, as have many of our rural communities. According to the most recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of methamphetamine and other stimulant-related deaths in Ohio increased 130% in a single year. This recent surge in methamphetamine and stimulant-related deaths is certainly not limited to Ohio. Federal authorities have also seen increasing amounts of methamphetamine in the state of Vermont this year, hindering efforts to keep Americans from using this addictive substance.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported on January 21 of this year that nationwide methamphetamine overdose deaths were increasing rapidly across all racial and ethnic groups, and the CDC reported that deaths associated with methamphetamines and other stimulant drugs have steadily increased following implementation of COVID-19 mitigation measures. Researchers have found both increases in drug consumption and increases in relapsing are related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this is a nation-wide issue, our rural communities—such as those in Vermont and Ohio—are particularly suffering.

There is a clear public health need for safe and effective treatments for methamphetamine use disorder. From 2016 to 2018, it’s estimated that meth use disorder in the US rose by 45 percent—from 684,000 to over 1 million, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. As Director of NIDA, you have even stated that the convergence of drug epidemics is a major problem, making the opioid crisis much more lethal than it has been in the past. We are encouraged by NIDA’s January 13th announcement that discusses the positive results of a study of a potential new combination treatment for methamphetamine use disorder. This would mark the first medication treatment for methamphetamine addiction, combining two medications that can be safe and effective for treating adults with moderate or severe methamphetamine use disorder. Paired with other cognitive therapies, this can help save lives in our communities and country. We applaud government funding of research designed to explore potential treatments for methamphetamine use disorder such as this and will continue to advocate for medical research to help our Americans suffering from these devastating substance use disorders.

Given the public health need posed by the increase in methamphetamine use disorder in communities across our country, we encourage NIDA to continue researching and exploring potential life-saving treatments in this area. Our constituents are suffering, and the number of tragic overdoses and deaths only continue to climb. …

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