January 30, 2020 | Following his shoulder surgery, Rep. Mark Walker leads by example by taking back his prescription drugs to CVS Pharmacy.
“Leaving prescription drugs in a medicine cabinet is one common way for opioids to fall into the wrong hands and lead to substance abuse in our community,” Walker said. “We can all play a role in fighting this public health crisis by properly disposing of our prescriptions following medical procedures.”
In 2016, more than two million Americans had an addiction to prescription or illicit opioids. Since 2000, over 300,000 Americans have died from overdoses involving opioids. This tragedy has been especially prevalent in North Carolina, with opioid-related deaths increasing by 800 percent since 1999.
Combating the opioid crisis has been one of Walker’s top priorities during his tenure in Congress. In 2017, he hosted a two-day, seven-stop opioid crisis tour across North Carolina to better understand ways to address addiction from the local level up to the federal level. Following the tour, Walker was instrumental in passing the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, legislation that would be critical in fighting this national public health crisis.
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