LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is proud to announce the huge success of the tenth Annual Arkansas Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit where 700 people attended. This event was held in Northwest Arkansas at the Rogers Convention Center. The Summit served as a free training and educational opportunity which connected law enforcement officers, medical professionals, treatment specialists, pharmacists, educators and family members.
“It is an honor to host the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit in a new location in Northwest Arkansas,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “The best way to address the crisis is to prevent addiction before it starts; that’s why it is imperative that we educate more Arkansans on the dangers of misuse and abuse of prescription medications.”
The keynote address came from General Arthur T. Dean, a chairman and CEO Emeritus of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. General Dean has served as a member of the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training Advisory Committee, Drug Free Communities Support Program, member of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Advisory Council, National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health among others. General Dean spent 31 years in the U.S. Army before retirement.
In addition to Attorney General Rutledge, the Summit is sponsored by the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy, the Arkansas Drug Director’s Office and the University of Arkansas System’s Criminal Justice Institute. Other partners include the Arkansas Alcohol Drug Coordinating Council, Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Arkansas Division of Behavioral Health Services, Arkansas Medical Board, Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas National Guard Counterdrug Program, Arkansas State Board of Nursing, Arkansas Prevention Network, Arkansas Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Foundation, University of Arkansas at Little Rock MidSOUTH Center for Prevention and Training, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Rutledge has long led the fight for Arkansans against opioid addiction by leading litigation, enforcement, education and treatment. In October, Rutledge stood with leaders from cities and counties across the State announcing the $216 million opioid settlement that will provide much-needed relief to people across the country who are struggling with opioid addiction. The agreement includes Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors – and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and marketed opioids. The settlement will be utilized to combat the opioid addiction epidemic at the State, county and city levels.
For more information about the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit or to sign up for future events visit ArkansasAG.gov.