New initiative targets prescription drug abuse

Health professionals, law enforcement and others unveiled a new health initiative Thursday afternoon at The Montana Center for Wellness and Pain Management.

The initiative, Know Your Dose, seeks to reduce the problem of prescription drug abuse in Montana.

Dr. Camden Kneeland, the medical director of the center and one of the Western Montana doctors leading the project, said the issue is a pressing one no one seems to be noticing.

“I tell people about the statistics from prescription drugs and they just can’t believe me,” he said. “Statistics like in Montana, more people die from overdose from these drugs than die from car wrecks. This is a multibillion-dollar problem in America.”

Prescription opiates cause 15 times more deaths than cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine combined, said Dr. Bill Gallea, another expert behind the initiative.

To help fight what Gallea and others have described as an epidemic, the Montana Medical Association and Montana Attorney General’s Office have teamed up for www.KnowYourDoseMT.com, an all-purpose informational website on prescription opiate addiction.

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox was in Kalispell to describe the website and how useful it could be.

“It’s an important new resource for the health-care community, patients and the public,” he said. “This isn’t just about browsing the web, this is about helping people. I spent some time on the site and learned more in half an hour than I ever had before.”

The Montana Pharmacy Association and state and local law enforcement have signed on to the project. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry and Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset were both in attendance as the website and initiative were unveiled.

“We were down in Florence earlier today and went to a pharmacy there,” Fox said. “They had a drop box for prescription drugs and he said since he had it installed in January, he had destroyed 35 pounds of prescription drugs.”

The sheer excess of prescription drugs — particularly dangerous opiates that may not be as effective as previously believed in pain management — is another huge beast to slay, Kneeland said.

“I go give speeches and ask people how many have had surgery. Most raise their hands,” he said. “I ask how many were prescribed 30 tabs of [a commonly prescribed opioid]. Like 80 percent of hands are up. I then ask how many used less than half. Nearly all the hands are still up.”

According to the Montana Department of Justice, 70 percent of people who abuse prescription drugs get them either free or at a small charge from a friend or family member.

Kaelyn Kelly, the Department of Justice’s drug abuse prevention coordinator, said the Know Your Dose website will inform providers and patients of these dangers.

“Providers want to be on the cutting edge,” she said. “This is a premiere tool with a huge amalgamation of information. Most providers will want to use this to not get left behind.”

Information on the site includes drug-seeking red flags, dangers of prescription drug abuse and resources for loved ones who are under the thumb of abused pharmaceuticals.

And as cliche as it may be, Gallea said these drugs are gateway drugs.

“It’s something like 75 percent of new heroin users start when they can’t get the prescription opiates,” he said.

More information can be found at www.KnowYourDoseMT.com.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.