Ag secretary Tom Vilsack visits Columbia, talks opioid abuse concerns

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Columbia Friday, participating in a town hall-style meeting at Stephens College.

The purpose of the town hall meeting was to discuss opioid abuse, an issue Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill – who was at the meeting – has focused on recently.

Following the meeting, ABC 17 News asked Vilsack about speculation he might be Hillary Clinton’s choice of running mate for the presidential election. Vilsack told ABC 17 News he couldn’t comment on that, nor on his travel plans in the immediate future. Later that day, Clinton’s camp revealed Virginia Senator Tim Kaine was chosen to be her running mate.

Vilsack weighed in on how the next administration would handle the problem.

“I think most policy makers, and most people in public office today, and those who are seeking public office, are better aware of this circumstance than they were six months ago or a year ago,” Vilsack said.

Both also spoke about the benefits of a prescription drug monitoring program. Missouri is the only state in the country without one in place. St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis have both began their own programs. Sen. McCaskill said her office would help any local government that wanted to start its own. The senator said doctors at the Fayetteville, Ark. VA hospital had an 80 percent drop in opioid prescriptions, but struggled to keep track of Missouri veterans who came to their hospital.

“They can’t see if they’re going ‘off the grid’ and getting additional prescriptions, whereas they can for all the other veterans they’re taking care of at that facility,” McCaskill said.