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New House Bill proposed to restrict addictive drugs

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A bill introduced in the House of Representatives would ban from circulation certain pharmaceuticals that could be easily abused as recreational drugs.

The proposed legislation is aimed at variants of addictive painkillers and other oral medications.

Reps. Bill Keating, D-Mass., and Hal Rogers, R-Ky., made the announcement at a news conference on Capitol Hill today. Keating said the legislation, if passed, would help curb a "silent epidemic" of prescription drug abuse.

"If this were the swine flu or any other kind of disease, this would be making headlines all over the country," he said. "But because of the stigma that is often attached to this, it is not.

"The increase in abuse and deaths attached to these prescription drug overdoses is occurring at a rate even more than heroin and cocaine," he said, citing a recent study from the University of Michigan on teenage narcotic use.

The bill would require the Food and Drug Administration to refuse to approve any new pharmaceuticals that did not use formulas resistant to tampering. For example, pills should not be able to be easily crushed into powders that could be snorted, or melted down into a liquid form that could be taken through injection.

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- Yahoo news