MONTICELLO, NY — Among the 33 resolutions passed by the Sullivan County Legislature at their monthly meeting on May 15, two were meant to specifically address issues that can be most effectively addressed by lawmakers in Washington, DC. One is the direct-to-consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies that became legal with legislation allowing it passed by Congress in 1997. The resolution requested that Congress move to ban such advertisements. It noted that only two countries, the United States and New Zealand, allow such advertising, and that the ads “may unduly influence the prescribing of prescription medication based on consumer demand when, in some cases, they may not be medically necessary.”

County officials over the past few months have been focusing on the problem of prescription drug abuse and the heroin addiction epidemic, and Legislator Alan Sorensen has been outspoken in his criticism of the way pharmaceutical companies are targeting both adults and children.

He said that in the magazine Entertainment, there was a product that was marketed with a cartoon character, clearly indicating it was directed at children,

He said this was “eerily reminiscent of the approach the big tobacco companies took with children back in the 1970s.” He further said it is his opinion that the epidemic of prescription drug abuse occurring in the country can be tied directly to direct-to-consumer advertising.

The second resolution that contained a message for lawmakers in Washington had to do with the proposal of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) to expand the definition of “navigable waters.”

According to the resolution the change would “subject almost all physical areas with a connection to downstream navigable waters, including features such as ditches, natural or man-made ponds and flood plains, to the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act,” and, “the cost to our farms, municipalities and taxpayers will be enormous.”

The resolution says the county legislature opposes the proposed rule change.

The proposed change has also sparked opposition in Washington, with some 231 representatives signing a letter telling EPA and ACE to “back off.”

New York Congressman Chris Collins said in a press release on May 1, “EPA’s overreach is already causing real harm for farmers and stalling business development across our country. When I visit with farmers in my district, the heavy burdens under the Clean Water Act come up each and every time. When the bureaucrats at the EPA decide to call a divot in the ground that fills with rain a ‘navigable waterway’ under the CWA, we know our federal government has run amuck. The fact that EPA and USACE are looking to formally broaden the definition of ‘navigable waters’ is an insult to hard working farmers all across this country.”