Transcripts For CSPAN Hearing On Heroin Abuse Among Teens 20240622

Organizations are sponsoring the forum. Following the life forum you can provide your input by joining the colin programs are adding your comments. The road to the white house 2016 on cspan, cspan radio and cspan. Org. Officials from the dea, the white house and other federal agencies testified tuesday about how to stop the increase in heroine abuse and how pain relief medications have contributed to the problem. They were at a hearing at the Homeland Security committee it is one hour 15 minutes. Our nation faces a profound challenge with the growing heroine epidemic. Last year, a number of heroin deaths grew by a shocking 72 . While northwestern wisconsin suffered six overdoses in six days this february. Clearly this is a problem that does not discriminate by race or class and transcends geography. Earlier this year, the white house released the 2016 2015 Drug Overdose mortality data. The data shows that while drug deaths related to prescription opioids has remained stable since 2012 the mortality rate with heroin increased by 39 and was more than triple the levels in 2012. That represents the third year in a row that the number of heroin deaths has increased nationwide. This past weekend the report of the tragic story of a family and made that lost a child to heroine laced with offender till ephenytil. Heroine cut with offender till phenotyl has been response will for a rash of overdoses around the country. Tragically when a batch has killed someone it is often what attracts antics to it because it will deliver an extremely potent high. It is obvious that the solution to this problem must have to do with access as well as enforcement. This legislation will take a number of important steps to combine the heroine epidemic. For example the link between prescription opioids and heroine by requiring the department of health and Human Services to convene a task force and develop best practices for Pain Management and prescribing prescription jugs. The legislation also authorizes grants to provide for alternatives to incarceration for veterans as well as those individuals with a substance to abuse disorder, Mental Illness or both. Finally, it would be a priority to award grants to those states that provide civil Liability Protection for First Responders and family members administrating. To counteract opioid overdoses. I also introduce the bipartisan reform act, the safer justice act. It promotes drug and Substance Abuse treatment programs over harsher sentences. We know that a proximally 60 have substance addiction disorders and only 11 receive treatment. It is no wonder that recidivism rates are as high as they are. The safe justice act would offer training to Law Enforcement officials to help them better identify and respond to officials with Substance Abuse issues. I look forward to hearing from the Witnesses Today about additional approaches to curb this epidemic and at this time i would like to yield to the gentlewoman from california who is the Ranking Member pro tem of this subcommittee today. Todays hearing concerns finding the best means to respond to the increasing use of heroin which is tragically proving to be more deadly than the past. Despite the heroic efforts of the federal Law Enforcement and the dea, the volume of heroin continues to rise. From 2008 to 2012, the dea noticed a 232 increase in heroine seizures. The rate of state and local Law Enforcement seizures continued to rise as well. The current level of heroin use indicates the substance is widely available. Over 600,000 americans use heroine. The heroine sold today is more potent and deadlier than ever before. In the last reported year of 2013, 8257 people died from heroin overdose and an additional 16,235 died from opioids. Heroine overdoses have nearly tripled between the years of 2010 and 2013 according to the cdc. Deaths due to heroine overdose now exceed Traffic Accident death in the u. S. It is time that we acknowledge the fact we are dealing with the Public Health care crisis driven by a Strong Demand for opioid drugs. Where does this demand come from . Most experts agree that prior to this increased demand, millions became addicted to opioid Prescription Drugs. The correlation is so strong that experts believe that 80 of current users began as abusers on prescription painkillers. The price of heroine has fallen to new lows. Five dollars to 10 per day. In comparison, for those already addicted, heroine becomes an attractive option. State reactions include revisiting older forms of treatment such as methadone maintenance and new approaches including new oversight for prescription medications. Many Police Departments are employing the use of a drug to reduce deaths. It is now credited with saving the lives Police Departments are working with offices across the country to create programs to divert users to Treatment Facilities rather than court, detention facilities and prisons. This effort supports a more permanent solution to the crisis we face. It reduces crime rates and the expenses of incarceration while allowing courts and Police Departments to allocate resources in a matter best suited to protecting. As we consider proposals, we would do well to consider the lessons of prior responses to drug abuse. The approach has not solved this crisis. Our focus should be to eliminate impediments to deliver Substance Abuse crisis to those in need and to educate our citizens to prevent Substance Abuse addictions. I look forward to the solution and the best way to address it. I would like to submit for the record and letter from the drug policy alliance. Without objection the record will be so embellished. I now recognize the general and from virginia for his opening statement. I am pleased to be here today to examine the growing epidemic of heroine abuse. Over the past several months we have seen an alarming increase in the availability and use of heroine. This has had profound and tragic consequences. Every day brings new stories of overdose Overdose Deaths across the country including in my district. Since january have been 11 resulting and nine deaths. Earlier Washington Post reports that the availability of highgrade marijuana to American Consumers has led mexican drug cartels to increase the amount of heroine and methamphetamine they are trafficking across the border. Since 2009, heroine seizures have nearly tripled as Law Enforcement seized 2100 kilograms of mexican heroine last year alone. The grim reality is that they should surprise no one. They decided to cash in on the misery of american citizens. Additionally, the Drug Enforcement and ministration estimates that the United States has 600,000 heroine users the Drug Enforcement administration estimates that United States has 600,000 heroine users which is more than three times the number and 2012. Once someone is addicted to a prescription opioid, the need to satisfy out waste the stigma attached to heroin use. It is far easier to pay 10 for a dose of heroin than 80 for an oxycodone tablet. It is no exaggeration to say that it has reached epidemic levels including in my home state of virginia. It is not a rural or urban problem but a health and safety problem. Despite the increase in heroin and meth production and the ongoing heroin epidemic, despite the surging deaths and the clear evidence that elicit controlled substances and their purveyors pose a lethal threat, the Obama Administration has continued to shirk its duty to protect this nation from dangerous not collect. I firmly believe that any solution must have three parts. Discouraging the use of this dangerous and highly addictive drug. Two, providing appropriate treatment and three, ensuring Law Enforcement zealously pursues the criminals who bring the poison into the community. I look forward to the testimony today. Without objection all members Opening Statements will appear in the record at this point. We have a very distinguished panel that i will begin by swearing in the panels before introducing them. If you would please all rise. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give to this subcommittee is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . Let the record reflect that all of the witnesses responded in the affirmative. The gentleman from virginia, mr. Forbes, has a distinguished witness and i will allow him to introduce the Commonwealth Attorney at this point and then i will introduce the next three. Thank you for holding this hearing and inviting our distinguished guests to share this experience. As you mentioned one of our witnesses is nancy parr who served as the Commonwealth Attorney for the city of chesapeake since being first elected in november 2005. She isnt limited new programs in addition to carrying out the traditional role of a prosecutor esther office and chesapeake. Her programs implement included seven girls empowerment conferences. Seven traveling the road to success multiweek programs and five lying on the right Team Basketball tournaments. Playing on the right Team Basketball tournaments. For six years, she served as a special attorney in the Eastern District of virginia. In addition to Public Service she is a member of the many boards and educations and offers her charitable time including to the region you association of Commonwealth Attorneys where she was president from 2014 to 2015. Commonwealth security council, the state crime commission. The Governors Task force drug in heroine abuse. Secure Commonwealth Panel subcommittee am a Justice Reinvestment Initiative workgroup, the board of correctional education, the Virginia State bar council, the board of governors, virginia astro adult mentality review team, the for talladega review team. Domestic violence devise rick committee. Thank you for accepting our invitation today and i look for to hearing your testimony as you share more about the events you are championing. First, mr. Michael botticelli, the director of the National Drug control policy. Previously is a director of the Substance Abuse services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He held a bachelor of art degrees at Siena College and a masters in education. He is the highestranking Career Special agent at the dea. Prior to his appointment as the chief of operations, he served in many other leadership positions. He received a bachelors in science at Bradley University and a masters in Public Policy administration from the university of illinois. This angela peacheco was the first woman elected to the u. S. District attorneys office. Her legal career has consisted mainly of criminal prosecution in which he has tried and which she has tried a number of highprofile cases. I would ask each of you to summarize your testimony without objection. The written statements will be entered into the record in their entirety. Mr. Botticelli, you are first. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. Ondcp produces the National Drug control strategy which is the administrations primary policy for drug policy. They treat them as Public Health challenges and not just criminal justice. The stark increase in the use of heroine has become a significant Public Health issue. As we heard Overdose Deaths involving heroin have increased sharply in recent years. Heroine was involved in over 8200, up from 5900 and 2012. As communities and lawenforcement struggle with an increased number of death the used increased trafficking. It is important to note that the vast overprescribing of Prescription Drugs and easy access to opioids is fueling the problem. Approximately 18 billion opioid pills were dispensed in 2012. This is enough to give every american 18 and older 75 pain pills. Even though 75 of open your users do not initiate heroin use, four out of five use the have used them nonmedically. Given this relationship we cannot develop a Public Health response to heroine without taking it part of a response to description opioid use. While heroine is traditionally regarded as an issue facing large urban rias, areas, we are seeing a shift in the demographic. Increasingly they are being seen and suburban and smalltown america. A recent cdc study shows it remains highest among males. But it is doubling among women and has more than doubled among nonhispanic whites. We also know that cocaine and others were ondcp has used its role to bolster support for Substance Abuse Disorder Treatment and prevention efforts and to coordinate a governmentwide response. In 2011 the plan was released. The plan remains contains action items. Increased drug monitoring programs, proper medication disposal and lawenforcement efforts. Recently, the administration convened the congressionally mandated Interagency Task force to more closely examine the administrations efforts and to devise recommendation into what more we can do. Weve seen overdose leveling off but unfortunately this is coupled with the dramatic increase in Overdose Deaths from 2012 to 2013. To address the issue we have been working to increase access to drugs for First Responders. Handinhand our efforts to promote Good Samaritan laws. They will take steps to help save lives. Lawenforcement enforcement is working handinhand with members of the Public Health community. Primary care physicians have an opportunity to treat Substance Abuse disorders early and to intervene before the become chronic. It is final that they receive care and treatment. When to with behavioral therapies and recovery has shown to be the most effective treatment for opioid use disorders. And an additional 100 million to fund improved access to care and services at Community Health centers nationwide. Hhs is also losing guide is also releasing guidance to states they have proposed 99 million in the budget request over fy 15 for treatment and Overdose Prevention efforts. In addition, given the connection between opioid drugs and Infectious Disease transmission, Public Health strategies are necessary to prevent the further spread of the disease. The recent outbreak in indiana is a stark reminder of how the opioid abuse can spread other diseases. How comprehensive programs such as Syringe Service programs need to be part of the response. In conclusion, we will continue to work with congress and our federal partners on Public Health and Public Safety issues resulting from the epidemic of opioid use and heroine use. Thank you for your time. Thank you mr. Botticelli. Mr. Riley . Chairman and congressman thank you for the opportunity to discuss heroine of its use and availability and the deas response. The deas Single Mission is to enforce the heroine controlled substance act. Sadly, today, 120 americans will die as a result of Drug Overdose. Heroine and prescription painkillers cause over half of those fatalities. The opioid addiction epidemic is the number one problem facing the country. I have been with the dea for 30 years and i have never seen it this bad. It destroys individuals families and communities. The vast majority is manufactured outside the country and smuggled across the border. We have seen an increase in poppy cultivation in mexico. As a result heroine is more prevalent today. The role of mexican organized crime is unprecedented which is why the dea relationship with our mexican counterparts and our presence along the border is so vital. They are targeting the highest level traffickers and the vicious organizations that they run. I have personally spent the bulk of my career chasing the and i consider the most dangerous heroine dealer in the world, el chapo guazman. Dea focuses its reverts resources on frustrating and dismantling these resources. That means turning the intersection between mexican organized crime. The relationship between these entities can only be described as dangerous and toxic. Heroine can be found in nearly every corner of the country or it today, heroine is far more different than it was five years ago. It can be smoked smoked and snorted much like powdered cocaine. The problem transcends all demographic and social economic lines. Knowing that it is a source of so much violence is what keeps me up at night. I know that the more we do to reduce drug crime, the more we will reduce all Violent Crime. We develop developed the model for cooperation and collaboration in chicago making a difference there and across the country. It began with the shared belief in federal and state and Community Leaders and prosecutors that together we could effectively target violent heroine organizations trafficking in heroine. As a result of our seizures dramatically increased primarily those connected to violence. We also dismantled criminal organizations for hundreds and thousands of kilos of heroine. We made our communities safer. The strategy allows us to work to the street level to prevent Violent Crime while at the same time to pursue the investigation into the highest level of Cartel Leadership wherever that takes us. Just as we cannot separate violence from drugs we cannot separate controlled Prescription Drug abuse from heroin. As result the dea has established highly effective tactical squads across the country 66 in total. To target the nexus between Prescription Drugs and heroin. We are taking the need the initiative to remove unneeded drugs from prescription candidates. In 2015, the dea will host its 10th annual takeback initiative. I know firsthand these threats are an urban challenge and a danger to the committee in the lives of our citizens. Mature prevention, treatment and education awareness are critical to our success. Everybody plays a role. This is a marathon and not a sprint. Together we will produce the results you seek and the American People demand. Thank you mr. Riley miss parr . I appreciate the opportunity to be here today and to speak to you. I have learned a great deal about Drug Overdose death prescription and illegal drugs. We are reviewing the poisoning of our youth and that includes arcot ex. Also, with a number of adult overdose and deaths in my city. For the past three years i have learned a lot about treating drugs and possessing drugs. There is a big difference. For the past 30 years as a prosecutor i have learned a lot about property crime, Public Safety and what victims of crime and a lawabiding citizens expect and deserve from local Law Enforcement and state Law Enforcement. I appreciate the hold that drugs have on some people. Well may have family or friends who are addicted to Prescription Drugs or heroin or cocaine. I appreciate the pain that they experience for what they go through. I appreciate that very few who are addicted to drugs or anything can break the cycle of addiction by themselves and alone. I also know that many of them die alone. I also know that we all want to save lives. Users, whether they are incarcerated or not should have access to good, affordable treatment. Dealers should be incarcerated. Store owners should not have their merchandise stolen by addicts who are stealing to support their habit. Lawabiding citizens should be able to live peacefully in their homes and neighborhoods without dealers servicing their clients on the Street Corners in the in the parking lot or the house next door. They should also not be subject to being in the middle of the crossfire when the wars breakout among the gangs and the drug dealers about who will run what Street Corner or street. We have innocent people being shot and killed throughout this country because of drug dealers engaging in gunfire. The generations the for us did before us did not find a way to stop drug users or drug use. I do think anyone believes this generation will do so either, but we can Work Together to diminish the devastation of the impact of the drug. All the disciplines involved in this have to be at the table. I am a prosecutor, i am not a therapist. I can listen and learn. We all have to be at the table. The comprehensive addiction and recovery act i support. To state that the association supports it also. The connection between Prescription Drugs and heroin use. Alternative evidencebased programs for incarcerated veterans, Substance Abuse and Mental Health. They all go hand in hand together and grants for the locks on noloxone for local Law Enforcement. Intervention, prevention treatment, diversion and incarceration. Thank you. Thank you very much. Miss pacheco. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to appear. My name is Angela Pacheco and im here to. Talk to you about hope and i am here to talk to you about hope. I could sit here and tell you all of the horrors associated with drug use. As an elected official who is constantly being bombarded with the ills of society on a daily basis, wouldnt you rather hear about getting someone hope . Our community, like so many who have experienced the ravages of heroin addiction for years, as a prosecutor i have personally prosecuted victims of families. Every year we see the same individuals addicted to opiates day in and day out. Who are released from custody and told to obey all laws with little to no treatment. In two weeks when they report to their probation officer they will be given a urine cup and are told to provide a urine sample. It will test positive for opiates and then the person will be arrested, placed in custody goes back to the court, and is released and told to obey old all laws, stay clean and the cycle continues. We all know that the person is addicted to heroin. Of course they will test positive. Just because someone tells them or orders them to stop using, do you really think that will last very long . Anyone that has ever raised children knows firsthand that you cannot make someone do something unless they want to. The definition of insanity is that we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over and risk expect a different result. That is madness. In 2014, santa fe became the second city in the nation to implement a Law Enforcement assisted Diversion Program referred to as leead for lowlevel drug offenders. A Police Officer on the streets knows his or her community. Who better than a to divert someone into a program. Let me tell you how it works. A Police Officer is called to a local Grocery Store on a shoplifting call. He encounters mary, unknown heroin addict that he has arrested several times before. Instead of booking and arresting her, he offers her the lead program. The agreement he makes with mary is that she must complete the lead application process within 72 hours. If she does the officer will not file criminal charges on the shoplifting at the Grocery Store. If she agrees the officer then contacts a lead case manager and arranges for the two to meet. The case manager asks mary, what can i do to help you go what do you need . They develop an action plan and they start with her basic needs. She may need housing or childcare or assistance in filling out a job application or a ged registration. Remember, mary has been through the system and has lost everything due to her addiction to heroin. Friends, family and children. She has a Case Management committee that meets every two for to discuss her progress. The committee consists of prosecutors, case managers and therapists. Everyone is given an opportunity to provide input. Everyone is in agreement that she will slip and there will be missteps. She will have a safety net of individuals that he to support her. Our program isnt for everyone but it is a start. It is about understanding that an opiate addiction is truly a Public Health issue and not a criminal matter. It is about recognizing that a person with an opiate addiction is a person. Not just a statistic or another federal defendant to prosecute but someone whose life does matter. The twin purposes are to raise money and time. It is about saving lives. Lead is about empowering the person and giving hope. Thank you very much. We will begin questions under the fiveminute rule and i will yield myself five minutes to ask the first series. Mr. Check a miss pacheco i agree that merely throwing someone in jail and having them come out and probably go back to the bad ways that got them to jail in the first place is something that ought to be addressed. Can you give me an estimate on the recidivism rate of those who have gone through the lead program and graduated . And ended up finding out that it didnt work . Mr. Chairman, santa fes program has been in existence for one year and as such we do not have the kind of statistical data that seattle does. Seattle has shown that in their program it is the recidivism is i want to make sure i have that the correct number. It is let me see. I had it marked for you. Im sorry, sir. It would be 80 less. 80 less than the recidivism rate before the program started in seattle . Correct. Let me say that this is probably the most important thing that we ought to look at. As demand goes down, the profits made by the dealers go down as well. We can talk about saving lives and giving people hope. My Home Community in wisconsin we have had a rash of deaths as a result of heroin overdose. Attorney general brad treat attorney general Brad Schimmel of wisconsin convened a task force to try to deal with this from a Law Enforcement and a treatment and rehabilitation standpoint. The bill that i introduced with other members of the community was made at the suggestion of governor walker. What advice would any of you give to the attorney general of wisconsin on how to deal with the task force that he has convened. Why dont you start, mr. Botticelli. One of the areas and i think you heard today and we have been working with many states and attorneys and helping with state responses, i think the overall goal is this has to be a copper hence if response that people know that it is a multidimensional problem that needs a multipronged approach. Prevention, treatment, recovery and support processes. Thought about incarcerating people with addiction but going after the supply of drugs on the street that are fueling the epidemic. It needs to be a multipronged approach. At local Law Enforcement people are understanding that they cannot arrest their way out of this problem and they have a role in terms of reducing overdoses. We have been amazed in terms of local Law Enforcements rise to the call in terms of preventing overdoses but this is really a multidimensional issue that requires a comprehensive response. Everybody has a role here. Whether that is Law Enforcement Public Health community it is about bringing people together, looking at the evidence that is effective and implementing those responses. Miss parr, do you have anything to add . I am serving in the Governors Task force and i can say that one of the good things and the reason this task force is working and why the Implementation Plan has been published, is that there are so many different aspects. We have pharmacists and medical doctors and Mental Health providers. Law enforcement, state police sheriffs. The federal government has a representative there. It has been broken down for treatment, Law Enforcement work groups. Education and more specific on disposal, safe disposal of the Prescription Drugs. That broadspectrum and breaking down into specific workgroups has produced a very good result. Thank you very much. My time is up. Miss chu . Could you describe how the lead program has affected Community Relations in santa fe and what role the community plays in lead and the cost savings that have been lamented by this program that have been implemented by this program . Initially, santa fe had a series of meetings for all community members. We did a needs assessment. Everybody was involved. Private business, Law Enforcement and Mental Health. We were able to put together the lead program. It consists of a consortium of individuals. The city of santa fe, san jose, the Public Defenders Office all of us get together and we have combined resources, manpower. Public funding and private funding. We get together and what i would really like to say is that it is really wonderful to see how the Police Officers have responded to this. They are the ones who originally came to us and said, we need to do something. We are sick and tired of arresting the same people and we have nothing to give them. For us it has been very gratifying to see the response. The other thing that has been very gratifying for us has been that we are seeing many young women with children and we had not anticipated that. We are able to provide services to the children. At first we had not taken that into consideration. What we can do now is provide services to the entire family and we have found that very gratifying. Thank you. Mr. Riley, there have been numerous cases across the country where individuals have faced chronic pain and face challenges getting their pain medication. I understand that drugstores have been tightening the rules after the dea impose record fines on pharmacies based on allegations that they were not scrutinizing questionable prescriptions. I believe that careful balance has to be struck, while not preventing legitimate patients from accessing pain medication. That is why the cosponsor of hr 471, which passed the house in april mr. Riley, what steps is the dea doing to ensure they are not getting rid of legitimate prescriptions . And howdy respond to the idea and how do you respond to the idea that the dea i, too, share the concern on this. We are so concerned about Patient Access at every step. We want to ensure that a legitimate Health Care Provider has asked access to education. One of the biggest ways we are doing that is our relationship to the industry. There are approximately 1. 5 million registrants. Of those about 5 million physicians. By comedic hitting back and forth and making sure they understand what we are seeing across the country and the trends of addiction and abuse has really brought them in and what we strive to do to make them at our allies. Our education of how they view the problem is really important. We went to listen from the registrants so that it is a twoway street. If you look in florida, where literally you had a small strip mall with several hundred people lined up around the block at 6 00 a. M. Waiting for it to open, to obtain illegal prescriptions. In those situations we move very quickly to cut that off. Of the 1. 5 million registrants the vast majority are lawabiding at the ones that choose to break the law we take very seriously. What we really strive for is Patient Access and safe and accessible medication. Thank you, i yield back. The gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from virginia. The map that you brought paints a distressing picture. It suggests that Drug Trafficking organizations have infiltrated our nation to a frightening degree and have partnered with street gangs in this country to peddle their drugs. In many ways this is a National Security issue. What is the dea doing to address that problem . Thank you. That is my primary biggest concern having seen this change. This map that you are looking at would have been vastly different five years ago. The role of heroin and the toxic, business relationship involved in virtually every corner of the country between urban street gangs and mexican cartels is frightening for me. What we are doing better than we have ever done is connecting the dots. I can tell you that chapo whose monde chapo guamzman counts and plans on the fact that cops do not talk to cops. That the good guys do not share information. As we begin to spread across the country, it has never been better. Are these Drug Trafficking organizations by their nature, of violent . There is no doubt in my mind. I have never seen violence connected to trafficking. Are these the people you are targeting . Many are parts of organizations that are extremely violent. How many drug possession offenders, meaning those who is this only enough for personal use does the dea refer to federal or seclusion. And prosecution. In my experience, virtually none. Our goal is to attack the highest level possible so we can hurt the organization from start to finish. With our limited resources that is the most effective way to make a difference across the country. Let me turn to miss parr and miss pacheco, is violence regularly associated with Drug Trafficking and distribution . Yes. I would definitely agree with that statement. We have seen, in chesapeake we have our shootings mainly between gangs fighting over turf to sell their drugs. What kind of violence to you see associate with hair and use heroin use and distribution. With heroin use it not the violence but the property crimes. They are stealing to support their habits. We have seen an increase in prostitution because that is away some women make money to support their habit. As far as distributing the heroin, that would be the gunbattles that are on the city streets and in our neighborhoods that expose innocent people to the gunfire. Does it extend to Gang Violence over turf . Sales territories . We have gangs in chesapeake and all areas. Over 300 square miles. There is a lot of turf to fight over. Is there a nexis between heroin trafficking and other criminal acts by these drug organizations or gangs . Yes, sir. Whenever you have Drug Trafficking you will see an increase in the prosecute prostitution and robbery. When we have gang members robbing other gang members, drug dealers robbing and shooting other gang members. Miss pacheco, do you want to respond to the same . Is it violent . Yes sir, it is. It has become worse. What kind of violence to you see in new mexico . There have been many shootings. We have had a few executions. Do you have the same problem with the nexus between gangs and the drug organizations . Their local sales organizations for the sin alone a cartel and other Drug Distribution organizations. We are aware of the fact because we are a border state, we definitely see heroin coming in from mexico fairly frequently. I could not say specifically which cartel it is associated with but we definitely see a lot of drugs from the border. Thank you, mr. Chairman. The other gentleman from virginia, mr. Forbes. Miss pacheco, when looking at these programs to stop recidivism, have you done any studies to look at the faithbased programs that have worked successfully to stop recidivism . Had he done an analysis of that have you done an analysis of that . And the impediments we are putting in front of them to stop them doing the work they are doing . Not really sir. Lead is a fairly new concept and there really isnt another model to compare it to. Oftentimes we love to create new wheels and reinvent the wheel that we have had some incredibly successful programs across the country and we have put one impediment after the other in a couple mentor a role with what you are doing and it some point in time we need to take a look at that and analyze that. Mr. Riley, but the me ask you this question, today if we looked across the country, the gang membership would equal the fourthlargest army in the world. We have also had testimony that in some of the most violent gangs serving as these that works, at least 85 are coming illegally. They are bypassing any prevention programs. It shocked us to find out that the secretary of Homeland Security didnt even know if we were asking people if they were members of violent gangs before we release them. Do you have any conductivity test how important is gangs are . I think they have become almost crucial to the mexican cartels. There are 150,000 documented street gang members. Largely they make their living supplied by the cartels. Heroin is their drug of choice. The way that they regulate is by the barrel of a gun. This is an normandy in terms of what we seek and enormity of what we see across the country. Not just what is occurring on the street. The integrity of those cases worked to the highest level. So we can have an impact on the organization itself. The chairmans works to get some significant gang regular chanel here but it got bogged down in the senate. The me ask you and mr. Riley this question. On july 14, five individuals were arrested on federal conspiracy charges of manufacturing with intent to distribute as part of an investigation led by the fbis field office. According to Court Documents obtained by a local news channel, the investigation involved 75 kilograms of heroin. To put that in perspective, that is equivalent to over 2 million doses which is enough to give everyone to get everyone in hamptons roads high on heroin. Can you talk about the level of coordination between local state and federal governments and were there any barriers that you would suggest are problematic that we could work on eliminating . That recent arrest is a prime and great example of the cooperation that we have in southhampton road, in particular between chesapeake and the u. S. Attorneys office and the dea and fbi. We have worked together quite well on many cases. In this case i did not see any obstacles as everybody was fully aware of what was going on as far as the investigation was going and it was very well organized. You did state the amount of heroin and the money that they were making off of this. One thing i would like to point out is and one of those homes there were many children in that home and the information is that 50,000 was counted every other day in that house with those children because of the heroin sales and that the heroin was cut and prepared on the dinner table. When we look at that and the children exposed to those, we have got to do something. Thank you. Maybe i can talk to you another time about that. The gentleman from south carolina. Thank you mr. Chairman. Special agent reilly, i want to thank you for your service and bring your attention bring to your attention the excellent work of those who are a credit to your agency. I am not very good at math. I need you to help me a little bit. I think that it takes 28 grams of cocaine base to trigger the five year mandatory minimum . I believe that is true. 28 grams of base would be roughly equivalent to 128 dosage units assuming. 25 grams per dosage unit. To get five years mandatory minimum you would need 112 dosage units of cocainebased or crack cocaine. And it takes 500 grams of powder to reset same fiveyear minimum should be about 500 dosage units. Yes sir. Heroin, it takes 100 grams of heroin to reach that same threshold but that is 3000 dosage units. Why can you go to prison for five years for 28 or 112 dosage units of crack cocaine but 3000 of heroin is what it takes to trigger that fiveyear mandatory minimum. That seems absurd to me. Well, on the Law Enforcement side we are cops. Were doing the best we can with the laws that are out there. Which is why when there is a discussion about reforming editorial minimums, it is important reforming mandatory minimums, it is important to hear from Law Enforcement officers. One thing we could do is equalize what it takes to trigger a mandatory minimum. If you have a problem with heroin and it requires 3000 dosage units to reach that fiveyear threshold that only 100 of crack cocaine it is pretty easy even for me to see one thing that could be done with respect to heroin. Not everybody and congress likes mandatory minimums. Most in Law Enforcement like them but everybody in congress doesnt like them. How many folks are serving federal prison sentences for simple possession of a drug . I have been doing this for 30 years and nobody is the result of my investigations. I could not find anybody either. I could not find anybody in a federal prison for simple possession. How about low level, nonviolent drug offenders. How many of those did you target when you were a dea agent . None, sir. Right. Dea would not target low level, nonviolent drug offenders. They would go to the state prosecutor . No, sir we would go after the largest traffickers we could identify. So this mythology that our federal prisons are full of lowlevel, nonviolent offenders and your 30 years of Law Enforcement simply do not bear that out . Not based of the investigations i was involved in. I have a colleague who was a prosecutor. A very conscientious colleague from the very first day that he set foot in congress, he shared with us his concern about the heroin epidemic. He wanted and is asking about the interconnectivity and the relationship between Prescription Drugs and heroin to who could speak to that on behalf of my colleague who raises a good question . It is a real concern here. As we talked about before, 4 5 of new users to heroin started using prescription pain medication. Because of the economics, we see that transition. This is where intervention and treatment and diminishing the overprescribing of perception pain medication is important to our efforts. Drug core. I am a tremendous believer. But heroin is hard to get off. It was the hardest drug for folks to quit in my previous job. What do we need . I just spoke this morning at the National Association of drug corp professionals. 500 people across the country saving lives by giving people good care and treatment with accountability. Part of what we know to be effective is that medications, when combined with other therapies become critically important. The evidence that people with opiate addiction and Prescription Drug without medication fail a significant portion of the time. We have been working with the treatment programs and the drug courts and using federal resources to support increased access to these medications as part of the comprehensive strategy. In terms of what we know to be the most effective treatment. The gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from michigan, mr. Bishop. Thank you mr. Chair and thank you for the panel. I appreciate your testimony. As a former local prosecutor, i had an opportunity to prosecute many drugrelated offenses but i can tell you in my experience, i never saw this level of heroin in the marketplace. It is troubling. I have schoolaged children and i have heard too many stories. It is very disconcerting for a parent and someone like me who is in elected government looking for solutions. I appreciate your willingness to be part of the solution making process. I recently met with a group of local Law Enforcement officers. My local county sheriffs and several others to talk about the issue. Our sheriff and livingston county. The statistics they shared are alarming. They have piqued my interest i want to do what i can to be a part of the solution. In livingston county, they had 34 heroin overdoses that resulted in death last year alone. The use have between 40 and 45 heroin related overdoses per year. Last year, that number has increased to an average of 200. In the other district or county that i represent, which includes the capital of our state in lansing, with 28 heroin related deaths last year. That is a number that has increased every year exponentially. I would agree that this issue is one that deserves our immediate attention. I want to thank the chairman of the committee, chairman goodlatte and the chairman of the subcommittee for raising these issues and making sure we identify these as primary concerns and we do whatever we can to address them. Director, i would like to start with you if i could. It is clear from what i am hearing in the district, that this issue cuts across all kinds of demographic lines to what we doing to ensure the responses comprehensive and holistic. When i was a local prosecutor we had collaborative efforts between local Law Enforcement dea. I appreciate your comments about drug courts and alternative sentencing that is available. Can you share with us more about what you are doing . While we can have a federal response really it is state and local where the rubber meets the road. The obligation of our office to make sure they have the resources they need to identify the issues and work collaboratively. We have a number of initiatives in addition to federal treatment funding we support through high intensity Drug Trafficking areas which are designated to work with state, local Law Enforcement to share intelligence and go after cases. Many are focused on heroin issues. Many programs are supporting prevention and intervention programs as well. Our Office Supports what is called drugfree committee programs. These are programs and grants to support communitybased, locally driven treatment programs at the local level. Every program looks different but every Program Needs all the key players on board. We acknowledge and try to continue to support state and local efforts. We know that we can do as much as we can at the federal level but it requires state and local partnerships to make it real. Mr. Riley, you did make reference to this. Can you share with me the legalization of marijuana at the state and local level . Can you tell us how that is influencing these markets . Whether that has led to the increase in heroin in our country . Has it shifted the focus away from we are focused now on methamphetamines, heroin and other types of drugs . Well, i think it goes to really the market genius of the cartels in particular. Theyve seen, and i do believe theyve seen the spread of Prescription Drug abuse, and they know that some point that availability does cease. We have seen that across the country. So, i believe its much as if it was 10 years ago when we were battling methamphetamine. With the help of congress, we were able to legislate the primary. Precursors out, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. However, the cartels recognize that there still was a tremendous addiction issue. So what did they do . They were able to produce methamphetamine in 1500 pound cooks and provide that to the area which had previously supported domestically. So, as i look at this problem, sir, i think it truly is battling a new face of organized crime. And im so glad that committee recognized whats been troubling me for a while the connection between domestic street kings and the cartels. It truly is the new face of organized crime as i see it in this country, and Law Enforcement needs to be fluid enough to adapt an attack that relationship. I doing that we can solve the pilot on the street, but at the same time attacked the organizations that are responsible for all the drugs. Gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from idaho, mr. Labrador. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Id like to thank all the witnesses for being here today and for your important testimony on the rise of heroin use across the United States. One area of particular concern that i have, then i would like to address is the expanded population of heroin users. Mr. Riley, in your written testimony, you mentioned that in 2013, 169,000 people over the age of 12 used heroin for the first time within the past year. With the average age of first time users at around 25 years old. You also cited data that indicated that those heroin initiatives of those heroin initiates, 85 were prior perception drug users. I understand you are developing a task force to confront the use of use and trafficking of heroin in america. But what specifically is being done to confront these of Prescription Drugs . Well, sir, i think what were doing today is important awareness is really important. Prior to leaving chicago, i attended a meeting about two years before i departed, and there was about 100 concerned people in the room. I attended that same meeting three years later, there were over 2000 people concerned. Unfortunately many of them were parents. And what strike me most is many of these parents had no idea their kids, and im talking High School Age kids were involved in Prescription Drug abuse which led to heroin. And many of them didnt find out until theyre on the way to the emergency room. Law enforcement attacking the issue is crucial. That is what we do it around the clock. But the awareness of everybody in the community to this issue is really going to strengthen as we go after these organizations. So, when we look across the board, parents, educators, Community Leaders. Faithbased practitioners. Everybody plays a role. Well we will do our job going after the bad guys, we cant do it alone. We need the help of everybody, especially parents. Excellent. I understand many of these users are initially receiving Prescription Drugs through a legitimate means, leading to an increase in use such among traditionally untouched populations. What does the agency proposed for addressing the fundamental problem of addiction . Well, clearly, were working with a variety of different agencies to try to get the word out. Also, i might one of the problems we face, and again,. It is an awareness issue todays heroin on the street is being smoked and snorted initially. Initially, gone is kind of the fear of aids or hepatitis, because of a needle. So, were seeing a lot younger people try heroin almost as a recreational drug. Statistics show that they eventually will go to needle use, but i think it does have a lot to do with why we are seeing younger and younger addicts. Mr. Botticelli. Congressman, i just want to make an add to those comments. You know, to your point, focusing on the Prescription Drug problem is a top priority. And first and foremost we really need to rein in overprescribing prescription pain medicine. Again, we want a balanced approach. We want to make sure people are getting appropriate pain. We dont want the pendulum to swing to the other way,. That is why we want to make sure that every prescriber has at least some minimum education. We know that about 70 percent of people who start misusing them are getting them free from friends and family, and thats why federal and local take. Back programs to get the drugs out of peoples homes are equally important. Weve also been promoting Prescription Drug monitoring programs that allow physicians to check databases, to see if someone might be going from doctor to doctor, to be able to intervene, as well as Law Enforcement responses. We just got briefed by the dea and terms of a huge takedown in terms of bad doctors and bad practices in the south. So we know that this needs a holistic response. Thank you very much. May i, ms. Pacheco. Pancheco, is it . No, pacheco. You also mentioned the need for census and reform to address lowlevel nonviolent offenders who left in jail with mandatory minimum sentence with no solution for their problems. I agree that they has no impact on reducing drug crimes. In your view, what is the best alternative for addressing addiction and the causes of drug abuse, given your experiences in place, where drug addiction. Is pervasive within the culture. You know, ive been doing this for many, many years, sir. And, you know, it always comes down to resources and moneys for drug treatments. And. We see the same people in and out with no money for resources. New mexico is one of the poorer states. And lead is a prearrest program. And that monies then can go into treatment in this Wraparound Services that many of these individuals need, because when there is a cycle of addiction they need as much support as possible. We are doing it from the back end to the front and to help keep them out of the system. The time of the gentleman has expired. This concludes todays hearing. And thanks to our witnesses for attending. Without objection, all members will have five legislative days to submit additional written questions for the witnesses, and additional materials for the record. And without objection, the hearing is adjourned. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] next, senator Elizabeth Warren and congressman Elijah Cummings discuss federal investment and economic growth. And live at 7 00 a. M. , your calls and comment on washington journal. Joseph bannister was the only pirate in history to have ever fought the british navy. Most pirate c the british baby and they hightail out. Tonight on q a, author Robert Person on the search for the pirate ship the golden fleece. And its captain, well the market turned pirate. He started off his life as a noble english sea captain, and gentlemen, who was trusted by many wealthy shipowners to sail this beautiful ship