NACDS issues letter to Senate about drug abuse bill

Earlier this week, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) issued a letter to members of the U.S. Senate to try and convince them to pass a legislation that would push for health care and enforcement authorities to work together for a solution to the prescription drug abuse problem in order to uphold patients’ legitimate access to medicines.

It is very possible that the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 (S. 483) could garner the consideration of the entire Senate. The bill was previously advanced by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11 and a similar version of the bill (H.R. 471) was passed in the House of Representatives in April of last year.

The NACDS conducted an opinion poll last summer among voters, and public opinion reflected what was in the legislation. Voters who keep up with current events are well aware of prescription drug abuse and agree that the problem needs to be dealt with while maintaining access to medicines for those who receive it legitimately. Almost eight out of every 10 people agreed that when it comes to combating prescription drug abuse, pharmacies have a dual role.