PENN YANN, N.Y. (WENY) – Democratic Congressional Nominee Tracy Mitrano (NY-23) discussed her position on what is the best way to combat the nationwide opioid conference during a press call on Tuesday.

According to Mitrano, she supports a “multi-front” approach to the opioid epidemic. She supports the idea of all law enforcement and medical personnel carry naloxone, an overdose antidote.

Additionally, Mitrano believes Congress should maintain legislation preventing health insurance companies from discrimination on the basis of a pre-existing condition; those who have been recently treated for alcohol or drug abuse are considered to have a pre-existing condition, according to most current insurance policies.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2016, 115 Americans died every day from an opioid overdose. Additionally, of the over 63,000 drug overdose deaths in 2016, about two-thirds involved opioids. Provisional data from the CDC indicates that in 2017, 72,000 Americans died from drug overdose.

According to analysis done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 49,000 of these deaths involved opioids.

Locally, according to Tompkins County officials, 22 people in the county fatally overdosed on opioids, making last year the deadliest for fatal overdoses in the area's history. Since 2007, opioid-related deaths have reportedly increased in the county by 1000 percent.

“These numbers break my heart,” Mitrano said. “Behind them lies somebody’s child—somebody’s parent, sister, or brother.  It is a public policy issue that demands immediate attention from every level of government.”

Mitrano also supports the policy of holding pharmaceutical companies partially responsible for these overdose deaths, saying they should be held responsible for marketing potentially-fatal drugs even though they knew they could be abused.

There have been multiple lawsuits throughout the United States alleging opioid manufacturers built a demand for their product despite knowing its addictive and possibly fatal qualities. In August, New York State sued Purdue Pharma, accusing the company of fraud and negligence in its marketing.

“The illegal drug trade has been a scourge on American society for half a century now. The combination of the so-called ‘legal drug trade’ is lethal. It is of the utmost importance that Congress stand behind efforts to end the illegal drug trade through robust law enforcement and the legal one by lawsuits against the big pharmaceutical companies who prioritized profit over people’s lives,” Mitrano said. “The actions undertaken by attorneys general in states across our country are critical in making these companies accountable for the devastation they have wrought. Many of the top officials at these companies knew that these drugs were dangerous. They knew they were highly addictive. They knew they were being abused. It’s only fair that these companies, after being tried in a court of law, are made to pay for rehabilitation and treatment for the people who became addicted to the legal product that they so fraudulently supplied.”

Another approach to combat the opioid epidemic that Mitrano supports is the establishment of supervised injection sites. Such sites have been hotly debated in the past, especially locally; Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick has called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to approve a supervised injection site to be built in the City of Ithaca.

Opponents of such sites have expressed concerns that such sites would fuel drug use, rather than prevent it; however, Mitrano cites a study published in Canadian Family Physician in 2017, which states that supervised injection sites in Canada actually led to lower overdose deaths, as well as fewer emergency calls for overdoses.

Currently, there are more than 90 supervised injection centers worldwide, though they remain illegal in New York State.

Mitrano's opponent, incumbent Congressman Tom Reed, has come out strongly against injection sites. Mitrano, however, has been more cautious.

“I refuse to dismiss outright anything that health professionals believe might help keep people alive, and the data on these centers suggests that they do exactly that,” she said. “However, such a site should only be open lawfully and if a town or city wishes to have one.  Even then, detailed study of their efficacy, wide community buy-in as well as the support and oversight of law enforcement and health officials are preconditions.”

She also spoke out against Reed's proposed policies, who has come out in support of the federal measure suggesting drug dealers be given the death penalty if found guilty. Additionally, Reed co-sponsored the Help Ensure Lives Are Protected (HELP) Act, which was introduced in 2015 and re-introduced in 2017; however, the legislation has not yet passed in Congress.

“I understand the impulse for justice,” Mitrano said. “But giving drug traffickers the death penalty won’t save lives. Tom Reed seems to believe we can criminalize ourselves out of a public health emergency by executing drug dealers. In large part, he is scapegoating addicts to divert attention away from some of his most lucrative donors who bear responsibility in this crisis. I’m interested in solutions that address this menacing public health emergency that affects families throughout this district.”

“Compassion, evidence-based research, and public policy — not fear, misinformation, or politics — should guide our approach to this public health crisis,” she concluded.