Following a recommendation voted on at the fourth meeting of the Governor’s Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment, and Prevention on December 8, 2015, Governor Mike Pence today announced he will include a bill, authored by Representative Greg Steuerwald, that addresses drug dealer penalties on his legislative agenda for the 2016 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
“We need to crack down on drug dealers who are peddling these poisons and preying on Hoosiers gripped by addiction. This most recent recommendation from the Task Force is another step forward in enacting policy that will allow us do just that,†said Governor Pence. “I am thankful for the continued work of the members of the Task Force, and I appreciate their recommendations to combat the scourge of drug abuse that has left far too many Hoosier families heartbroken. I look forward to working with the Indiana General Assembly to address this issue in the upcoming session.â€
At the fourth Task Force meeting on December 8, 2015, the Task Force heard from more than 20 individuals, parents, and community members who shared how they have been impacted by drug abuse. Following these testimonies, the Task Force voted to recommend the Governor support legislation to enhance penalties for drug dealers convicted of serious and aggravated offenses.
Over its first four meetings, the Task Force made 15 recommendations (listed below). Governor Pence has acted on all of the recommendations.
| Drug Task Force Recommendations as of 12/8/15 | ||
| Recommendation Subject | Recommendation | Date |
| Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver | Directed FSSA to pursue a Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver for individuals with substance use disorders to broaden Indiana Medicaid benefit packages to provide a more comprehensive continuum of covered services and care. | 9/16/2015 |
| Aaron’s Law Awareness | Directed agencies to raise awareness of Aaron’s law (SEA 406-2015), which the Governor signed into law this year to allow individuals to obtain and administer lifesaving overdose intervention drugs. | 9/16/2015 |
| Youth Assistance Expansion | Directed the Department of Workforce Development to work closely with existing youth assistance programs and identify best practice models to replicate statewide. | 9/16/2015 |
| INSPECT Recommendations | Directed the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) to convene a working group to send recommendations on improvements and best practices related to INSPECT, to the INSPECT Oversight Committee. | 10/15/2015 |
| Commission for Improving the Status of Children | Requested the Commission for Improving the Status of Children make recommendations through its Educational Outcomes Task Force and Substance Abuse and Child Safety Task Force on the following: (1) developing age appropriate substance abuse curriculum for students and (2) finding ways to better connect affected youth with substance abuse services. | 10/15/2015 |
| Acute Pain Prescribing Guidelines | Directed the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) to work with appropriate entities including those that represent physicians, nurses, dentists, physician assistants, podiatrists, and veterinarians to develop guidelines for prescribing acute pain medications. | 10/15/2015 |
| Chronic Pain Prescribing Rules | Directed appropriate entities to promulgate and adopt with all expediency chronic pain prescribing rules for all prescribers. | 10/15/2015 |
| Naloxone Availability | Directed the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) to identify gaps in Naloxone availability compared with overdose demographics. | 10/15/2015 |
| Regional Therapeutic Communities | Directed the Department of Correction to work with Starke and other northwest Indiana counties to adopt and pilot the Regional Therapeutic Communities program, which provides more treatment options for local officials in addressing drug addiction. | 11/19/2015 |
| PLA – INSPECT Oversight | Directed the Professional Licensing Agency, to request that the INSPECT Oversight Committee explore possible measures to increase access to INSPECT for prescribers and dispensers | 11/19/2015 |
| FSSA Gold Card Program | Directed the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration to implement the Gold Card Program, which removes administrative burdens by allowing qualified physicians the ability to prescribe medications without prior authorization. The prior authorization process enables payers like the Indiana Medicaid Program a chance to review the medical evidence of a member’s health condition, as provided by the treating physician, so that the medical need for covering the service and treatment costs can be established. | 11/19/2015 |
| Legislative Recommendations | Expand the Lifeline Law to include immunity beyond alcohol offenses. | 11/19/2015 |
| Amend state law to require the Indiana State of Department of Health (ISDH) to issue a standing order for the dispensing of an overdose intervention drug, such as naloxone. This standing order will enable certain entities such as pharmacies to sell the drug to an individual without needing a prior prescription from a physician. | 11/19/2015 | |
| Modify the Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana in a way that maintains support for local coordinating councils (LCCs) but brings together state agencies and stakeholders to address the drug abuse issues Indiana is facing today. | 11/19/2015 | |
| Support legislation to enhance penalties for serious, aggravated drug dealers. | 12/8/2015 | |
The Governor’s Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment, and Prevention announced its meeting schedule for the next several months, which can be found below. The next Task Force meeting will take place on January 29, 2016.  For additional information about the Task Force, including a list of resources, post-meeting recordings, minutes, presentation materials, upcoming agendas and specific meeting locations, visit: www.drugtaskforce.in.gov.
January 29th
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Central Indiana
March 18th
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Western Indiana
April 13th
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Northeast Indiana
May 17th
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Southwest Indiana
June 21st
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Eastern Indiana
July 26th
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Northwest Indiana
While I am glad to see Pence is aware we have an issue with drug misuse. The first question that comes to mind is, “define a drug dealer”. Most all addicted persons buy and sell drugs in order to maintain their addiction. In face value of this article will that make them drug dealers? In 1953 the American Medical Association defend addiction as an illness. Until we remove the criminal attachment to addiction nothing will change. When we decriminalize addiction then we will see change. After all the most abused drugs are prescription drugs.
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