Published On: April 15, 2019251 words1.5 min readCategories: Press ReleaseTags: ,

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The Hill published an opinion piece by NACDS President & CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, that urges enactment of legislation to help reduce opioid addiction and abuse.

KEY FACTS

  • The opinion piece urges support for S. 724/H.R. 1614, introduced by U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), and U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY).
  • The bill would limit to a seven-day supply a first prescription of opioids for temporary, or acute, pain – such as that associated with a broken bone.
  • The bill does not apply to prescriptions for those in need of the medications for chronic pain, cancer, other diseases, and end-of-life care.
  • The legislation is consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines for prescribing opioids.
  • The legislation would not prevent a prescriber from issuing another prescription after the first one to address a patient’s needs.

“The national discussion of opioid-related issues can resemble a pendulum. It swings to a focus on the sincere needs of patients suffering with excruciating chronic pain. It then swings to address the desperate pleas of communities and families who have tragically lost loved ones to drug abuse and addiction. The victims deserve more than a pendulum-approach to policymaking and publicity. They deserve a comprehensive approach to a complex dilemma, that – at the same time – addresses everyone’s needs.”

– NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, in The Hill 

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