Will Brownsberger — State Senator, Democrat, 2d Suffolk and Middlesex District

Will, I’ve been meaning to write and thank you for working to tighten rules for prescription pain medication.  As a social worker, I have encountered tragic situations of families ruined by prescription drug addiction.  Most poignant was a juvenile court investigation for a family involved with DCF.  The mother was getting monthly prescriptions for her [...]

On February 14 the U.S. Senate H.E.L.P. Committee will hold a Congressional hearing to review the Institute of Medicine’s 2011 report on pain, Relieving Pain in American: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research. A little piece of Massachusetts trivia about this report.  The chairperson of the IOM committee was Philip Pizzo, MD, [...]

Will, This is such an important issue and I am so glad your are taking it on!! We have two family members who continue to be negatively affected by prescription pain killers which makes me very aware of the tight line one walks, starting from the very first prescription. Not that your bill addresses this but [...]

Will – while I appreciate the severity of this issue, as a practicing oncologist this bill would place significant constraints in terms of managing my patients. oncology patients frequently require long term narcotics, and I usually write several of these prescriptions daily. To stop and have to review each patient, every time, would be onerous [...]

I believe that addressing the problem of adequately treating pain, while at the same time trying to stop misuse of prescription pain medications, is something that the legislature can try to solve, but I am afraid legislation is more likely to cause harm than help.  Currently, health care providers are very worried about the consequences of [...]

Buprenorphine is an essential drug for me. Before I found a doctor who could prescribe it, I lived in constant pain. Please don’t make it even harder to get. I don’t get high on it. It just makes my life bearable.

Will, while I agree that prescription abuse is a problem, this bill will likely compound the problems faced by patients dying of cancer and their physicians, nurses and families.  These are the people with intractable and unimaginable pain, usually in the last stages of life who are trying to die with dignity and some comfort. [...]

Today the Senate passed a bill to strengthen the state’s response to prescription drug addiction. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

While the problem of patronage in probation may have been substantially addressed by changing leadership, it still may make sense to reorganize the system.

I’ve been hearing from a number of constituents who are calling for full legalization and taxation of marijuana. I think that it is much more useful to focus on reducing mandatory minimum sentences for the harder drugs and I’m hopeful that our financial crunch will create the conditions for responsible movement on sentencing policy.

Links to drug policy publications, reports and presentations by Will Brownsberger.

Question Two on the November ballot purports to enact a “Sensible State Marijuana Policy.”  So packaged, the proposal is likely to pass.

I believe that there are three major reforms that we need to pursue in Massachusetts drug policy: (1) moderation of our sentencing policies; (2) improvement of substance abuse treatment quality; (3) expansion of screening and brief intervention.

Coerced treatment has great appeal for parents, judge and prosecutors. But, now that it has become widespread, it is damaging the treatment system and making all treatment less effective.

Why do we send people to jail because of their addiction, when
treatment would be much less expensive?

Brief statements on freedom to marry, death penalty, choice, sex education, stem cell research, criminal justice issues, affordable housing