Commentary: To battle opioid epidemic, target the illegal drug market

Heroin, fentanyl, and synthetic opioids have become dangerously familiar sources of overdose and addiction in New York and across the country. The rates of drug-related deaths and surrounding criminal activity have grown significantly in recent years, creating major issues that demand our lawmakers’ attention. Despite the clear connection between illegal drugs and the opioid death toll, some of our elected officials have neglected to recognize the epidemic-driving nature of the illicit market flooded with deadly substances. Instead, they have targeted our state’s health care system and the honest patients it serves.

Earlier this year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Opioid Stewardship Act as a response to the opioid epidemic. This was certainly a noble piece of legislation, but it fails to implement an effective strategy to curb opioid abuse.

The law targets companies that make and distribute legitimate doctor-prescribed and government-regulated prescription opioids and does nothing to impact the illicit market fueling the nation’s epidemic. It demands a financial assessment on each opioid distributed into the state to deter their use. But this model would be ineffective, especially since the Drug Enforcement Administration is responsible for setting the number of opioids that are manufactured each year. Additionally, the companies that manufacture and distribute prescription drugs play no part in setting demand.

The legislation does nothing to reduce the supply of illegal opioids and related drugs or target the criminals peddling them. Drugs found on the black market are not regulated and often contain unknown ingredients, which is why they’re so deadly. And having regularly dealt with criminals who sell and consume drugs throughout my career in law enforcement, I know firsthand that a surcharge or government-enforced financial burden on the health care market will not deter individuals from preying on addicts and profiting off of the addictive nature of certain drugs.

Opioid abuse and misuse have become one of the biggest public health crises that many of us will see in our lifetimes, and we cannot afford to misplace our resources. It is imperative that New York lawmakers recognize that synthetic opioids, heroin and fentanyl have become the most dangerous and common sources of deadly overdoses. And accordingly, our responses to the epidemic must accurately target the actual drivers of the epidemic, especially fentanyl, which accounted for 46 percent of overdoses across the country in 2016. In fact, a report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that fentanyl is the most commonly used drug involved in drug overdoses.

Measures have already been taken to ensure that law enforcement officials and first responders are equipped to handle overdose situations. We’ve undergone extensive training and are armed with anti-overdose medications that reverse fatal overdoses. But these reactionary steps are not enough. They must be supplemented by increased penalties for drug dealers and better monitoring of illegal drug networks from other countries like China and Mexico.

I can only hope that future strategies to end the epidemic will thoughtfully acknowledge the role that must be played by law enforcement officials and first responders. We need continued support for these individuals who regularly confront the realities of the epidemic. So, rather than seeking solutions through corporate fees that could weigh down our health care system and harm patients, legislators should coordinate with law enforcement agencies and addiction professionals to support on-the-ground efforts that curb addiction and the sale and abuse of illegal drugs.

Politicians and regulators must recognize that the only true solutions to this epidemic will address the problem of illegal drugs by working hand in hand with the brave members of New York’s law enforcement agencies.