Mangano Advances Initiatives to Address Prescription Drug Abuse

Mangano Advances Initiatives To Address Prescription Drug Abuse – Following a nearly year-long study on the impact of prescription drug abuse in Nassau, County Executive Edward P. Mangano today accepted the Nassau County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force’s recommendations for action against this deadly problem. County Executive Mangano formed the Task Force last year, shortly after the tragic events at a Medford Pharmacy where 4 people were killed during a robbery of prescription pain-killers, specifically Oxycodone. Drug Abuse press Conference Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the abuse of prescription narcotics is on the rise and killed more people in 2010 than cocaine and heroin combined. The number of deaths due to prescription painkillers has officially surpassed the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents. In Nassau, 119 people died last year from prescription drug overdose. “The statistics are startling,” said County Executive Mangano. “We have a health crisis on our hands. Prescription drug abuse in Nassau County and throughout Long Island has reached epidemic levels. Too many of our young residents have died, and we’re doing all that we can to stop it. I commend our Task Force members for all their efforts to save lives here in Nassau.” Last August, County Executive Mangano charged the committee with developing a number of local initiatives and potential state legislation to be advocated with New York State lawmakers. Local initiatives recommended by the Prescription Drug Abuse …