Stories from Maryland
Now’s your chance to let Congress know you’re passionate about CARA!
Both the Senate and House have passed versions of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. Conferees from both bodies are currently meeting in what’s known as “conference” to finalize one bill that will go to the President’s desk for signature and passage into law.
It’s critically important that the conferees hear from you as soon as possible! These policy leaders must understand how important a comprehensive addiction response is in their home state.
Share a link to this story (or tweet your own!) with U.S. Representative Congressman John Sarbaness (Maryland) on Twitter: @RepSarbanes or U.S. Representative and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Maryland) on Twitter: @WhipHoyer. If you’re not on Twitter, share your story with us here.
“I began using at age 22, and after 14 unsuccessful treatments, I got clean at age 44. Those were the most tumultous years of my life. I was gang raped, witnessed a murder and assaulted multiple times. I have been clean this November for 20 years. The best 20 years of my life, as I had no life before. Treatment centers in the past were not equipped to deal with the drug epidemic we or I was facing. As time passed, treatment was 11 days instead of 28 — that is a setup bound to fail. We need to revise our current treatment centers and our attitude on addiction. I am a very successful woman now and was named Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Woman. I am in Million Dollar Round Table, Top of the Table and Top of the Court — the highest honor you can receive in my industry. I am a success story but have been to way to many funerals this year. They say if you want to be in the program, you better own a dark suit. You may Google my name to show my success after years of failure.”
Jo Ann Merritt-Green | Severna Park, MD
“My story mimics just about every letter you will receive. It’s one of devastation and heartbreak. My husband of 32 years and my 27-year-old son are victims of this epidemic.
My son started dabbling with pills 7 years ago, and within a year, he ultimately became a heroin injector. He’s lost everything. This is my loving, good-hearted, kind, smart son, who would do anything for anybody. He became a monster.
My husband is actually a victim of our primary care physician who kept him addicted to Percocet for 8 years. My children watched, as their father turned into a monster. He is has been addicted to Suboxone for five-and-a-half years now.
A good portion of the funding from CARA is going to access to care, specifically medically assisted treatment, more specifically Suboxone. I can tell you and I’ve written to many, including Michael Botticelli, that Suboxone is not the answer. Suboxone is the answer for early detox, NOT LONG TERM TREATMENT. My husband has tried to detox off Suboxone many times and it is clearly more difficult than trying to detox off of the Percocet that he was addicted to. My son was abusing his Suboxone. He was selling it, injecting it to get high, and trading it for heroin constantly. I walked into his room one day to find him with a needle, getting ready to be shot into his arm. When I looked at the color of the content of the needle it was peach in color. I asked him what it was, he said it was his Suboxone.
First, I beg and plead you to get the CARA money released immediately, OUR KIDS ARE DYING. Secondly, I ask you to rush the funding to our communities so we can start saving lives. Third, please don’t waste taxpayer money being spent on Suboxone. Please ask yourself why so many physicians won’t prescribe it!”
-Carin Miller | Mount Airy, MD
“I lost my 24-year-old youngest son to a heroin overdose on 4/5/15, one day after leaving 28-day rehab in Florida. I also have a 29-year-old son incarcerated due to theft for money to buy drugs. We need new laws to help those addicted so we do not continue to lose our young people due to drugs.”
-Patricia Class | Maryland
