Trumbull Delegation Applauds Passage of Opioid Bill

TRUMBULL, CT- Local state legislators hailed the passage of opioid legislation to help combat the addiction and overdose crisis.

The legislation passed 144-0 and moves to the state senate for final approval.

The bill would do the following:

• Requiring municipalities to update their existing emergency medical services plans to ensure that the emergency responder likely to the first person on the scene of an emergency call is equipped with and prepared to administer the overdose reversal drug naloxone and has been appropriately trained to do so.
• Closing a gap in current liability language related to a licensed health care professional who administers an opioid antagonist.
• Prohibiting commercial health carriers from requiring prior authorization for coverage of naloxone.
• Requiring the Alcohol and Drug Policy Council's state plan to include, by January 1, 2017, a goal of reducing the number of opioid-induced deaths in the state.

It would also limit prescription of opioid drugs:

• Prohibiting, for adult patients, an initial prescription of opioid drugs for longer than seven days.
• Prohibiting, for minor patients, any prescriptions of opioid drugs for longer than seven days and requiring the prescriber to discuss the risks associated with the drug with the patient and, if present, the custodial parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody of the patient.
• Allowing, for both adult and minor patients, a prescriber to give more than a seven-day supply of opioid drugs if, in the prescriber's professional medical judgement, the acute or chronic pain condition requires it and requires the prescriber to note such condition in the medical record.
• Making several changes to the state's electronic prescription monitoring program to help facilitate prescriber and pharmacist compliance.

The seven-day cap is for first-time adult prescriptions and all prescriptions for minors with exceptions for certain medical conditions.

“I am very proud to support this groundbreaking proposal which addresses a serious public health issue in our state," said State Rep. David Rutigliano. "Although this bill alone won’t stop heroin addiction it does start to limit the availability of opiates especially among our youth.”

He thanked local advocate Theresa Doonan for her continued advocacy.

"I view this legislation as the beginning and it is my hope that by working together we can begin to find positive solutions to this terrible scourge,” said State Rep. Laura Devlin.

“The opioid epidemic is a growing menace across the nation, and it has taken a firm hold here in Connecticut,” said Rep. Ben McGorty. “This bill is hardly a cure-all, but it takes some very important and positive steps toward the goal of stemming the tide of addiction. Our opioid forums held in several towns were absolutely indispensable in crafting this legislation."