Medical students: Advocate action on opioids during lame-duck session

While thousands of lives are being lost to the nation’s opioid epidemic, there are immediate actions medical students can take to make a difference. Congress is in a lame-duck session until approximately the first week of December, and its agenda includes voting on funding for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). Over the next two weeks, Christopher Clifford, the AMA Medical Student Section’s government relations advocacy fellow, and others are encouraging students across the country to make one final push to advocate action on this preventable and treatable health crisis.

“We need to let it be known that this is not an issue that can be ignored,” Clifford said.

Option 1: Send a letter

• Follow these prompts to send a pre-written letter electronically to all of your U.S. representatives
• Time investment: 2 minutes

Option 2: Make a phone call

• Call 800-833-6354 and follow the instructions to leave a message with your representatives
• Introduce yourself as a medical student and say you are speaking on behalf of the AMA. Simply and clearly ask your legislator to 1) ensure CARA receives the largest amount of funds possible, and 2) ensure that funds are increased for treatment and prevention programs
• Time investment: 5-8 minutes

Now more than ever, patients need future physicians to advocate on their behalf. “Do not let this opportunity pass you by,” Clifford said.

The problem

• Last year alone, nearly 30,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses
• Overdose deaths from heroin, prescription drugs and opioid pain relievers last year surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, opioid-related deaths have reached unprecedented levels, and many experts believe that the epidemic has still not reached its height

Current legislation

CARA (S. 524) was signed into law earlier this year with bipartisan support. It will:

• Increase coverage for, and access to, comprehensive treatment for opioid use disorder, including medication-assisted treatment
• Expand availability of naloxone—a lifesaving medication that counters the effects of opioid overdoses—to law enforcement and other first responders
• Expand Good Samaritan protections so bystanders may have more incentive to help someone who has overdosed
• Improve prescription drug monitoring programs to help states monitor prescription drug diversion and help at-risk individuals gain access to treatment
• Provide resources so incarcerated individuals who are suffering from addiction can be identified and receive proper treatment
• Prohibit the Department of Education from including questions about conviction of an applicant for the possession or sale of illegal drugs on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) financial aid form so students may receive loans to attend a higher education institution

The ask

The passage of CARA gives the U.S. much-needed momentum on addressing the opioid crisis. However, significant funding is needed to ensure evidence-based approaches to prevention, treatment and recovery strategies are available to the many Americans who so desperately need them. 

I urge you to:

1. Ensure CARA receives the most funds possible
2. Ensure that funding is increased for treatment and prevention programs

Our nation is needlessly losing thousands of people to a preventable epidemic, and I'm counting on you to support crucial reforms that can help curb America's opioid crisis. I would like to stress that the opioid epidemic is not an issue that can be simply addressed next year, since for thousands of Americans struggling with addiction, there could be no next year. As your constituent, and a future community physician, I sincerely hope you will take action on this very important issue.

For more on the AMA’s work to reduce opioid misuse, review the work of the Task Force to Reduce Opioid Abuse.