On Tuesday, February 4 Dr. Timothy Westlake, a physician in the emergency department at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing addressed a proposal that would permanently classify fentanyl as a drug that has no legitimate medical benefit but results in high rates of addiction. Drugs that fall under this category as known as Schedule 1 drugs. Dr. Westlake’s testimony helped advocate for the permanent federal labeling of these Schedule 1 drugs as such. The House successfully passed the bill on Thursday, February 6, receiving bipartisan support from lawmakers.
Up until the February hearing, the federal classification of these drugs had only been temporary. The lawful practice of classifying these drugs was first done in the state of Wisconsin in 2017. The following year, 2018, saw the federal government also adopt this drug classification system. According to Dr. Westlake “These efforts have resulted in shutting down the creation and flow of new fentanyl related substances into the U.S. It’s why Congress must act now to make permanent this temporary policy.”
During the hearing, Dr. Westlake was joined by members of law enforcement who had experience dealing with the fentanyl issue. Additionally, two parents whose children were the victims of overdoses shared their stories. Jaime Puerta and Bridgette Norring shared how both of their sons used social media to purchase drugs that they genuinely believed were nothing more than painkillers. However, these drugs were actually laced with fentanyl, leading to the two boys’ deaths. Classifying fentanyl as a Schedule 1 drug helps prevent such a deadly substance from ever being created. If the Schedule 1 drug cannot be created, then this form of prevention hits at the root cause because it entirely eliminates the drug’s existence.
As stated by Dr. Westlake before the Senate, “No one can die from ingesting something never created or be incarcerated for trafficking something that does not exist.”
Dr. Westlake is currently a full-time physician and a part-time medical regulator. Previously, he has also served as Chairman of the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board. In the past decade, Dr. Westlake has testified before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives a total of six times, advocating for legislation that would prevent opioid and fentanyl related deaths. His work both throughout the state of Wisconsin and nationally have led to a marked decrease in fentanyl related deaths. Dr. Westlake has proudly impacted and served the Oconomowoc community and his nation.
