Cardle.
Weve seen statistics about the levels of prescriptions issued of odioids or controlled substances in small communities across the state that I think most people would find pretty shocking Price said shortly after being selected by House Speaker Joe Straus to head the Select Committee on Opioids & Substance Abuse.
The committee has been charged with analyzing the breadth & scope of the problem in Texas prior to the 2019 Legislative Session.
Burglaries of pharmacies have actually increased significantly in Texas. And a lot of this is because addictions are trending upwards and thats a scary thing for a whole host of reasons. So we want to be pro-active and a little more aggressive in managing this correctly and stopping the negative trend Price said.
Weve seen that the number of deaths resulting from drug overdoses generally have quadrupled since 1999 and that is a significant tragedy in and of itself. Any number that high attributable to one cause is a significant issue said Price.
We plan to set in to place a series of hearings probably between March and September of next year where we can spend the time necessary to talk to experts and if we have the budget I think well travel around the state.
And then well produce a report and recommendations in the fall of 2018 that the legislature will want to take a serious look at during the 2019 Legislative Session says Price.
