Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law a package of legislation meant to curb addiction to prescription painkillers and heroin in a state that saw more than 3,500 people die last year of drug overdose. New laws mandate seven-day limits on painkiller prescriptions like oxycodone for both minors and emergency room patients who are treated and released.
Legislation also establishes curriculum on safe prescribing for medical school students and professionals seeking license renewal, boosts the frequency prescription drug prescribers and dispensers utilize and update the Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), and widely expands potential drop-off locations for unused prescription drugs. The move came five weeks after a rare joint meeting of the state House of Representatives and Senate at which Wolf called for action addressing the opioid and heroin addiction crisis as the end drew near in the 2015-2016 legislative session.
Last week, the General Assembly adopted the bills
Governor Wolf said, “I am proud to sign a package of bills that represents the work that we have all done together to address the heroin and opioid abuse crisis and begins to curb the effects of this public health epidemic in Pennsylvania.” State Senator Gen Yaw (R) of Williamsport, PA was the prime sponsor of two of the bills. He compared the Legislature’s work to the strength of a rope. Each bill represents a single strand. “Alone, they might not be fully effective, but together, they can strengthen the rope and our collective efforts.” He said he appreciates the support of the legislative leadership, and remarked that he is thankful for the governor’s prompt signing of the bills into law.
Glenda Bonetti, director of Northumberland County’s Drug and Alcohol Program, fully supports the prescribing limits. She estimates the average age of first-time opioid users who seek help through her office as 17. In her experience, many who become addicted tend to progress to heroin. Bonetti is grateful for the legislative action, but said it took opioid abuse to become prevalent in the middle and upper classes to get noticed. She said, “The reason it’s becoming more publicized is because it’s not just the impoverished who are affected. It’s affecting wealthy families, not just poor people.”
– by Eric Scicchitano, The Daily Item, November 3, 2016
The Accidental Apologist 