MY NEXT TWO GUESTS ARE
INCREASINGLY NOT ALONE IN THEIR
DEVASTATING LOSS OF A LOVED ONE
TO OPIOID OVERDOSES.
IN 2016 IN MINNESOTA, THERE
WERE MORE THAN 2,000 OPIOID
OVERDOSES.
395 OF THEM FATAL, THAT'S A
MORE THAN 1,000 PERCENT
INCREASE IN OVERDOSES AND A
600% INCREASE IN FATALITIES
SINCE 2000.
CHRIS EATEN OF BROOKLYN PARK
LOST HER 23-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
ARIEL IN 2007, AND GOP
REPRESENTATIVE DAVE BAKER OF
WILLMAR LOST HIS 25-YEAR-OLD
SON DAN IN 2011.
TOGETHER THEY ARE LEADING THE
PUSH IN THE MINNESOTA
LEGISLATURE FOR THE FIRST OF
ITS KIND LEGISLATION IN THE
NATION THAT WOULD MAKE
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES PAY A
PENNY PER UNIT TAX ON OPIOIDS
THAT ARE PRESCRIBED.
IT'S AN HONOR RIGHT NOW TO HAVE
SENATOR EATEN AND
REPRESENTATIVE BAKER WITH US
RIGHT NOW.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU.
I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN SO OPEN
ABOUT YOUR LOSSES TO TRY AND
HELP OTHERS.
CAN YOU BOTH JUST SAY WHAT
HAPPENED TO YOUR FAMILIES.
FIRST SENATOR EATEN.
MY DAUGHTER DIDN'T SHOW UP
AT HOME.
WE WERE GOING TO GO LOOK AT
CARS, AND SO I WAS KIND OF
UPSET WITH HER, AND THEN TWO
POLICE OFFICERS SHOWED UP AT
THE DOOR TO TELL ME SHE'D BEEN
FOUND IN HER CAR IN A PARKING
LOT OVERDOSED ON HEROIN, AND
YOU KNOW, I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO
TELL YOU THE SHOCK AND THE -- I
MEAN, IT JUST FLAT OUT LAID OUR
FAMILY OUT.
I MEAN, WE -- I JUST KIND OF
SHUT DOWN FOR A YEAR OR TWO.
RIGHT.
AND HER PATH TO THE HEROIN
OVERDOSE BEGAN WITH OPIOIDS.
YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO PIECE THAT
TOGETHER, RIGHT?
RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT, REPRESENTATIVE
BAKER, YOUR STORY IS NOT TOO
DIFFERENT.
VERY SIMILAR TO SENATOR
EATEN'S.
OUR SON WAS INJURED IN A
SPORTING ACCIDENT AND HAD SOME
LOWER BACK PAIN, AND HE HAD
NEVER TAKEN OPIOIDS BEFORE, WAS
NOT REALLY THE PARTYING TYPE, I
GUESS IF YOU WOULD IN LATE HIGH
SCHOOL OR EARLY COLLEGE YEARS,
AND HE GOT STUCK ON THIS, AND
WE HAD NEVER IMAGINED THE POWER
OF THESE PILLS UNTIL WE WENT
THROUGH IT OURSELVES AND
REALIZED THE GRIP THAT THESE
HAD ON HIM.
WE GOT THE CALL ON MARCH 9th IN
2011, AND TO SAY THAT OUR SON
HAD ACCIDENTALLY OVERDOSED FROM
HEROIN, IT JUST -- IT'S A
MOMENT THAT SENATOR EATEN AND I
WILL NEVER WANT TO EVER RELIVE
AGAIN, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT WE
TELL OUR STORY BECAUSE OUR
CHILDREN WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO
END UP THIS WAY, YOU KNOW, AND
THAT, I THINK IS WHEN WE HAVE
CONNECTED THROUGH THIS WHOLE
TIME IN THE LEGISLATURE
TOGETHER.
WE STAND TOGETHER BECAUSE WE
NEED TO TELL OUR STORY TO
FAMILIES AROUND MINNESOTA
BECAUSE IT'S JUST SO PAINFUL,
AND WE REALLY DON'T THINK IT
NEEDED TO HAPPEN THIS WAY, AND
THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO TELL OUR
STORIES ABOUT OUR KIDS.
YOU BOTH STOOD TOGETHER WITH
THE GOVERNOR TALKING ABOUT THIS
NEW BILL YOU TRIED TO GET
THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE LAST
YEAR, AND IT DIDN'T GET THROUGH
IN PART REPRESENTATIVE BAKER
BECAUSE PEOPLE SAW THIS,
REPUBLICANS SAW THIS AS A TAX
ON PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES FOR
THE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT THEY
PRESCRIBE, AND IT BASICALLY IS.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOUR FELLOW
REPUBLICANS?
WELL, MY FRIENDS IN THE
PARTY KNOW THERE'S A CRISIS IN
THIS ISSUE.
THEY WANT TO DO SOMETHING.
I THINK IT'S JUST OUR ABILITY
AND MY DRIVE ON THIS ISSUE,
I'VE BEEN SETTING THIS BILL FOR
THE LAST TWO YEARS.
I CAN ASK THEM TO OPEN THE
CHECKBOOK TO THE STATE
RESOURCES AGAIN AND SAY LET'S
KEEP WRITING OUT DOLLARS AND
CENTS TO TREATMENT CENTERS WHO
NEED IT, BUT THIS IS AN IDEA
BECAUSE THE COMPANIES THAT HAVE
MADE MILLIONS OFF OF THIS ISSUE
HAVE NOT STEPPED UP LIKE I
THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE, AND I
THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME THEY DO
THAT, AND WHY DON'T WE LEAD
THIS IN MINNESOTA.
WE COULD BE THE FIRST IN THE
COUNTRY TO SAY WE'RE DONE HERE.
I HAVE PERSONALLY ASKED THEM
US.
I'VE ALWAYS GOTTEN THE WE NEED
TO STUDY THIS MORE OFTEN.
GROUPS.
SENATOR EATEN AND I ARE TIRED
OF THAT.
WE HAVE A GREAT CHAMPION IN THE
SENATE, SENATOR JULIE ROSEN,
ANOTHER REPUBLICAN, A STRONG
REPUBLICAN WHO BELIEVES WITH ME
WHOLEHEARTEDLY THAT THIS IS AN
ISSUE THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN
WHAT WE'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE
BECAUSE REPUBLICANS DON'T LIKE
TAX.
I'M ONE OF THEM.
I DON'T LIKE THE STEWARDSHIP
FEE BUT THIS IS VERY CENTERED
AND FOCUSED BACK ON THE
TREATMENT CENTERS AND THE
COUNTY PROTECTION FOR KIDS AND
THE TOOLS THAT DOCTORS NEED TO
BE ABLE TO FIND DOCTOR SHOPPING
HABITS.
WE HAVE TO FIND MORE RESOURCES,
AND I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD
ALWAYS COME FROM THE MINNESOTA
TAXPAYERS.
YOU WERE SAYING SENATOR
EATEN, IS PART OF THIS ABOUT
GETTING THE MESSAGE ABOUT
PRESCRIBING THESE DRUGS OUT
THERE, BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING
YOU'RE NOT AGAINST OPIOIDS FOR
THE RIGHT REASONS, BUT IT'S
JUST THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH
OVERPRESCRIPTION.
CORRECT, I'M ON THE OPIOID
PRESCRIBING WORK GROUP, AND I
FIND THAT I'M STILL HEARING
FROM PEOPLE WHO SAY I HAD A
TOOTH PULLED AND I GOT 30 DAYS
PRESCRIPTION, YOU KNOW,
VICODIN.