* If the opioid epidemic gripping Pennsylvania has any virtue, it’s that it is nonpartisan. It has crossed a socioeconomic threshold in that, unlike previous addiction crises, it is not identified with any class, race or neighborhood. The opioid epidemic truly is the commonwealth’s problem, and the commonwealth must respond accordingly.
* Opioids have killed someone in every county, every legislative and senatorial district. Lawmakers should act quickly on the governor’s proposal to reduce the damage.
Scranton Times-Tribune: Act quickly on Wolf’s opioid plan
By the Editorial Board – September 29, 2016
If the opioid epidemic gripping Pennsylvania has any virtue, it’s that it is nonpartisan. It has crossed a socioeconomic threshold in that, unlike previous addiction crises, it is not identified with any class, race or neighborhood. The opioid epidemic truly is the commonwealth’s problem, and the commonwealth must respond accordingly.
To their credit, the former Corbett administration, the Wolf administration and the Legislature have reacted rather aggressively to the opioid crisis. They have funded more treatment, authorized widespread use of the highly effective antidote naloxone and established an opioid prescription database to help reduce the amount of prescription opioids in circulation.
Yet, as Mr. Wolf told a joint legislative session Wednesday, 10 Pennsylvanians still die every day due to opioid addiction.
Mr. Wolf laid out a series of proposals to further the state response:
-
Require physicians to use the new state prescription database when prescribing opioid painkillers, to help detect “doctor shoppers,” who obtain multiple prescriptions. It’s now up to individual doctors whether to use it.
-
Require prescribing physicians to update their education on opioid use.
-
Limit the amount of opioids prescribed through emergency rooms to a seven-day supply per patient.
-
Require insurers to cover opioid formulations that are less likely to lead to addiction.
-
Mandate instruction about opioid danger for high school students.
Opioids have killed someone in every county, every legislative and senatorial district. Lawmakers should act quickly on the governor’s proposal to reduce the damage.