Happy New Year! As 2014 comes to an end and we enter 2015 I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.
This past week, tragedy struck the people of Westfield. We lost a public servant, we lost a friend, and most importantly, we lost a good and decent man. Kevin Regan lost his life in an unspeakable tragedy, and we are all deeply and profoundly devastated by his death. I want to express my most heartfelt condolences to the Regan family, a family that has given so much to our community.
I had the pleasure of really getting to know Kevin during my first campaign for Westfield State Representative. I was in need of a tutorial on all things related to pensions and retirement in Massachusetts, and I was told by several Westfield residents there is only one person you should talk to- Kevin Regan. At that point, I reached out to Kevin and he couldn’t have been more willing and helpful in getting me up to date on the key issues involved with pensions and retirement. To this day, I have never met a person more knowledgeable and passionate about an issue than Kevin Regan. But, it was much more than his knowledge about issues that struck me during my discussions with him. Whenever I spoke with Kevin, I knew I was in the presence of a kind and genuine man, a man who was deeply involved in the community, a humble man always willing to help others.
I also want to express my deepest sympathies, condolences, and well wishes to Lynda Cavanaugh, Kevin’s long-time companion who was seriously injured in that tragic incident that took Kevin’s life. All of Westfield is with you, Lynda. During this most difficult time, we pray for your speedy recovery.
With the start of the new Legislative session next week I, like many people in Westfield, am gravely concerned by the heroin epidemic that exists in Massachusetts. Simply put, this epidemic is spiraling out of control. According to Colonel Timothy Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, there were 58 heroin-opiate related deaths in Massachusetts from December 1 through December 16 of 2014. Incredibly, this figure didn’t even include cities like Boston, Worcester, or Springfield! The problem is so significant that in March of last year Governor Deval Patrick declared a public health emergency.
I have spoken to many law enforcement officials, health care providers, and colleagues of mine who all seem to be describing similar reasons for one of the main causes of the current epidemic. According to those officials, the road to opiate addiction typically begins innocently enough with a patient going to see a doctor or a hospital for treatment. The patient is prescribed some type of pain medication for their respective ailment. The problem is that these pain medications being prescribed like oxycodone and hydrocodone are highly addictive. The patient becomes heavily addicted to these opiates during the course of their treatment and buys these drugs on the black market long after their prescription runs out and- in many cases- long after the ailment that initially caused them to seek medical attention has been cured. The cost for these prescribed painkillers on the streets is astronomical. According to federal law enforcement agencies, the cost for a single opiate pill ranges between $50 and $80! The cost of these drugs on the black market cause an individual to turn to a much cheaper alternative with similar or even more harmful effects: heroin.
I applaud Governor-Elect Charlie Baker for saying the opiate-heroin addiction crisis will be one his first priorities when sworn into office. He also stated his belief that maybe it is time to start thinking about passing laws that limit when doctors can prescribe these heavily addictive pain medications. I agree with him wholeheartedly on this. If we as elected leaders outline the circumstances when highly addictive drugs can be prescribed, than maybe, just maybe, we can prevent some of these individuals from being on these drugs in the first place.
I want to be very concise about what I am suggesting and advocating. In no way am I suggesting that we as politicians should be making medical decisions for those in the health care professions. And, in no way am I suggesting that individuals who are need of pain medicine should be deprived of it. What I am saying, however, is that maybe we should be taking a hard look at things like the types of ailments where these pain killers can be prescribed, the duration of the prescription, etc.
?We as lawmakers need to do everything in our power to assist law enforcement in their efforts to rid our streets of those responsible for distributing and trafficking in heroin/opiates. Those responsible for peddling these drugs are destroying our communities. We need to take a further look this coming legislative session about increasing the penalties for non-possessory heroin distribution and trafficking offenses. Drug usage is a particular problem, but drug distribution and trafficking is a major cancer in the moral fabric of our society.
It is time, given the magnitude of this opiate-heroin epidemic, for the medical community, law enforcement, the Legislature, and all other affected parties to come together and try to come up with a solution to this most serious problem.
Next week, on January 7, I will begin my first year term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. I’m excited to get back to work for the people of Westfield. I am in the process of drafting Legislation that I will be soon filing. On Tuesday of next week, I will be holding my first meeting of my legislative advisory committee. One of the topics we will be discussing is the heroin epidemic. It is critical that I hear directly from the people of Westfield on this important issue, and I encourage you to email me at [email protected] or my legislative aide at [email protected] with your thoughts on this, as well as other critical issues facing our great city.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
