Release date:
3/8/2017
AG Stein Joins NC House Health Committee Discussion on Legislation to Confront Opioid Epidemic
(RALEIGH) AG Stein today joined the North Carolina House of Representatives Health Committee to speak in favor of the STOP Act, formally the Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention Act. An overview of the legislation is available here.
“At last week’s press conference to introduce this legislation, a 20-year-old young man joined us,” said AG Stein. “When he was 12, this young man’s mother had knee surgery and had extra prescription opioids in her bathroom. He experimented with those pills and got hooked – eventually ending up homeless, sleeping in a Walmart parking lot. Fortunately, he checked himself into a detox center and is now in recovery, working and enrolled in school to become a social worker.”
“There are tens of thousands of these stories – many without a happy ending,” said Stein. “This legislation will help prevent future addictions in a few ways. It’ll reduce the number of pills prescribed – keeping them out of medicine cabinets and preventing them from being misused. It’ll reduce prescription fraud by requiring e-prescribing, and it’ll prevent doctor shopping by requiring doctors to check a prescription database to see what else their patients are taking. Importantly, it also provides much-needed funding for treatment to help people who are currently suffering from substance use disorder.
“I strongly support this legislation,” said Stein. “It took us 15-20 years to get into this crisis and reversing it won’t happen overnight. But a commonsense approach to prescribing and dispensing these highly addictive drugs, paired with an emphasis on increasing treatment and recovery for those currently dealing with addiction, is a good start. I look forward to partnering with law enforcement, policymakers, health care providers, public and mental health experts and advocates to fight this opioid epidemic.”
Background:
- To read AG Stein’s column on the opioid crisis click here.
- To read a recent speech AG Stein delivered on this issue click here.
- For more information about AG Stein and the opioid crisis visit www.ncdoj.gov/opioidcrisis.
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
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