Gov. Charlie Baker has created a controversy with two parts of a bill that he said was must for fighting the growing opioid epidemic in the state.
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The legislation would restrict patients to a three-day supply of painkillers the first time they are prescribed an opioid drug, or when they receive a prescription from a new doctor.
It’s an issue that has attracted the focus of the state’s leaders as drug overdose and death numbers continue to climb.
Baker, speaking at a late-morning press conference, said he’s been struck by stories detailing the massive flow of prescription opiates to patients, sometimes in 60- to 80-tablet bundles at once.
Baker said he was surprised by the casual nature and casual attitude that he get to see while talking to colleagues in health care regarding these medications and these issues. “And that has got to change”. Baker, a Republican, has said addressing heroin and prescription opioid abuse in the state will require efforts on several fronts: education, prevention, and treatment, among others.
Under the new bill, medical professionals will be granted the authority to involuntarily commit and individual for treatment for 72 hours if they pose a danger to themselves or others.
While praising the governor’s determination to stem the addiction crisis, Dimitri also cited challenges with allowing doctors to authorize civil commitments.
The Massachusetts branch of the American Civil Liberties Union also has concerns about how the 72-hour hospitalization plan would work.
“What we don’t want happening is that people won’t want to ask for help for fear that they would be detained”, said Dr. Laura Kehoe, an internist and addiction medicine specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The state Senate recently approved its own wide-ranging bill that includes screening of public school students for potential substance abuse and encourages doctors to consider alternatives to opioids for pain management.
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In a statement on Baker’s proposal, House Speaker Robert DeLeo thanked the governor for his “thoughtfulness and thoroughness” in drafting the bill. Women committed for substance abuse treatment would be sent to a hospital rather than to the state prison in Framingham.
