During a Judiciary Committee hearing with DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, Klobuchar urged the agency to keep up the pressure on cartels and dealers who are fueling the heroin epidemic 

With as many as four out of five heroin users having previously abused prescription drugs, Klobuchar also called on the DEA to immediately implement bipartisan legislation she passed into law to expand drug take back programs 

Earlier this month, Klobuchar met with Mexican officials and representatives from the DEA to discuss ways to combat the growing heroin epidemic

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today pressed the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to take action to fight the growing heroin epidemic and prescription drug abuse crisis in Minnesota and across the country. During a Judiciary Committee hearing with DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, Klobuchar urged the agency to keep up the pressure on cartels and dealers who are fueling the heroin epidemic. With as many as four out of five heroin users having previously abused prescription drugs, Klobuchar also called on the DEA to immediately implement bipartisan legislation she passed to expand drug take back programs.

Earlier this month, Klobuchar met with Mexican officials and representatives from the DEA to discuss ways to combat the growing heroin epidemic.

“Heroin is laying waste to families and communities in Minnesota and all across the country, and we should spare no effort to reverse this deadly trend,” Klobuchar said. “With so many heroin users first getting hooked on prescription drugs, the DEA needs to implement the drug take back legislation I passed into law so that we can give families new tools to prevent abuse and help keep dangerous drugs off our streets.”

Klobuchar recently called on the DEA to boost its interdiction efforts at the Mexican border and to work with state and local law enforcement to combat the problem. Coming from Mexico up I-35 or through Chicago, Minnesota has some of the cheapest and purest heroin in the country that has led to a deadly spike in abuse. In 2013, there were 54 deaths caused by heroin overdoses in Hennepin County. Hospital emergency departments visits for heroin have nearly tripled from 2004 to 2011. In the 7,000-person community of St. Francis, three young people have died of opiate-related overdoses since May.

In the last 4 years, over 3.4 million pounds of prescription drugs have been collected across the country during designated prescription drug take-back days. The Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 takes these efforts to the next level by providing consumers with more safe and responsible ways to dispose of unused prescription medications and controlled substances. The law expands options for individuals as well as long-term care facilities, and promotes the development and expansion of prescription drug take-back programs.

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