Press Release

Elk Grove, CA – Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. highlighted his bill to help prevent prescription drug abuse in Sacramento County and across the country.

The Dispose Responsibly of Pills Act (DROP) would fund additional prescription drug drop-off sites across the country. Bera spoke at the Elk Grove Police Station, where one of the region's drop-off bins is located and discussed the broad effort needed to address the issue.

"This is a growing problem across the country," Bera said. "As a doctor and policymaker I understand just how serious prescription drug abuse is and how quickly it can escalate. The solution will require a multi-pronged approach that begins with prevention. My bill will help keep medicine out of the wrong hands, but we must also work on treating and destigmatizing addiction."

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Bera spoke alongside Deborah Simpson, a Sacramento County mother whose son became addicted to prescription pain medication he found in his family's medicine cabinet.

"My accident was not the tragedy, the tragedy was that my son began stealing two or three prescription pills at a time and at 15-years-old he became an addict," Simpson said. "I cannot tell you the suffering my family went through over five years because of prescription drug abuse. Four trips to rehab later, I am happy to say that he is a recovering addict."

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Simpson's son began using prescription drugs, but escalated to heroine and methamphetamine. Sacramento County Medical Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye explained that that is quite common.

"Four out of five heroin users start with prescription opioids and studies show that 54 percent of individuals who have been arrested for [drug] abuse got their prescriptions from friends or relatives," Dr. Kasirye said. "The State of California's Department of Public Health has called this an epidemic and considers it a priority for us to address it. There is no simple answer; we must work with our partners from a variety of sectors to prevent addiction and treat abuse."

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