Florida Funds Opioid Battle
Florida lawmakers passed legislation to fund the opioid battle, including programs for prescription limits, education requirements and funding for treatment.
As reported by FloridaPolitics.com, In the waning hours of the annual session, the Florida Legislature approved tough new restrictions on prescription drugs and agreed to spend more than $53 million on treatment and prevention to battle the state’s opioid crisis.
Despite the issue being a top priority for the 2018 session, the final vote on the measure (HB 21) almost didn’t come as the Senate and House were at odds for hours over whether the bill should include dedicated funding for Vivitrol, which is a monthly shot that has been successful in helping people with opioid addictions.
Much of the attention during the session focused on preventing addiction. That strategy included trying to prevent people from getting addicted to prescription painkillers, which can lead to abusing street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
To that end, the bill would impose a three-day limit on prescriptions for treatment of acute pain. Physicians could prescribe up to seven-day supplies of controlled substances if deemed medically necessary. Cancer patients, people who are terminally ill, palliative care patients and those who suffer from major trauma would be exempt from the limits.
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To read more about how Florida is implementing a range of programs to fight the opioid crisis, please visit FloridaPolitics.com.