During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, Schumer said doctors prescribe hydrocodone for things like wisdom tooth extractions and broken bones. "But too often, this painkiller becomes a cold-blooded killer to many of our friends, students and parents. It's prescribed sometimes for things that are not needed."

And he said, it's often prescribed too much. "If you have a wisdom tooth [removed], and let's say it's very painful - you need it for three days, but the doctor might prescribe 30 pills. So there are far too many pills around."

Schumer said the biggest hurdle to cracking down on hydrocodone is getting FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to accept the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee's recommendation to change the drug's classification to what's known as Schedule Two. Schumer said Schedule II classification would make it harder for people to acquire and abuse the drug.