Washington,
May 17, 2016
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Mary Carpenter
(202-834-0386)
Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Ga-01) has earned an appointment to serve on the House-Senate Conference Committee to resolve differences over the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. In announcing the appointment, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan praised Carter for his experience as a pharmacist and his commitment to advancing reforms to end prescription drug abuse.
"As the only pharmacist in Congress, Buddy's insight will be invaluable to this Conference Committee," Speaker Ryan said. "He has been on the front lines for more than thirty years working to combat prescription drug abuse and he has wasted no time taking up that fight in Congress. I look forward to working with Congressman Carter to find an agreement that will end this epidemic once and for all."
As a member of the Conference Committee, Carter will be charged with addressing and finding solutions to nearly every facet of the opioid epidemic facing America today.
"I am excited and honored to participate in the Conference Committee," Carter said. "As a pharmacist for more than thirty years, I was blessed to watch prescription medication save lives. At the same time, I have watched firsthand as addiction to them ruined careers, families, and lives. I viewed battling prescription drug abuse as a very important part of my professional duty as a pharmacist and I have carried that mission with me to the United States House of Representatives. I am ready to work with my colleagues to find an effective agreement to address this issue. Together, we can and will overcome this crisis."
Carter is the only pharmacist in the United States Congress and has been a leader in the fight against prescription drug abuse. As a member of the Georgia General Assembly, Carter authored the Georgia Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Recently, Carter participated in the National Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, authored this article to create solutions to the epidemic, and voted in support of the House Amendment to S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.
