Bill Aims To Keep Addicts From Getting Opioids From Veterinarians

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — A state assemblyman wants to prevent drug users from illegally obtaining opioids from a growing, but rather, unlikely source: Veterinarians.

According to Assemblyman Kevin Rooney (D-40), some pet owners have been convicted of going to various veterinarian practices for prescriptions opiates that humans can take. These owners have been accused of harming their pets or even training them to cough in order to get a prescription.

Rooney introduced a bill that would require a pet's prescription to be in a pet owner's name and for that owner's information to be submitted to the state's Prescription Monitoring Program. Anyone not identified as the pet's owner may not receive a prescription and a prescription may not be refilled unless it is past the proper date.

"Addiction is a disease and people go to great lengths to feed their addiction," Rooney said in a statement. "My goal is to help end the opioid crisis, no matter the circumstances."

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