×

New Law

Officials hoping to reduce opioid addiction

A trend gaining popularity in many states is taxing pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors for opioid drugs they sell, with proceeds allegedly going toward programs to treat drug addicts and prevent substance abuse.

West Virginia legislators discussed just such an idea last winter. They were wise to reject it. Instead, they approved a wide-ranging package of restrictions on prescribing of opioid drugs. Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill into law; it goes into effect in July.

Clearly, such legislation should have been adopted years ago. Had many shoddy and outright unscrupulous health care practitioners been more conscientious in prescribing pain pills, at least some of the current abuse crisis would never have occurred.

Senate Bill 273, the new law aimed at reining in abuses, is a lengthy, complex package of rules affecting physicians, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, dentists, optometrists and even veterinarians. An important section of it also regulates addiction treatment programs using drugs that may create problems themselves.

Critical sections of the law limit the amounts of opioid painkillers that can be prescribed. For example, in many situations, patients can be given prescriptions for no more than a seven-day supply of such drugs. In some cases, the limit is four days. For minors, it is three.

In an effort to curb long-term dependence on opioid painkillers, the law restricts the total length of time they can be prescribed, in most cases, to 90 days. There are exceptions in situations involving cancer patients, people in hospice care and in similar situations where the need for longer-term relief is clear.

West Virginia legislators and Justice hope the new law will do more to reduce opioid addiction caused by the health care system.

In rejecting the tax proposal, they understood that a minimal tax would provide very little revenue to fund education and treatment programs. Enacting a tax that would bring in a meaningful amount of money would place a burden on the backs of patients using painkillers legitimately.

Will the new law accomplish its intent? Combined with strict enforcement, it undoubtedly will do enormous good. Mountain State lawmakers were right to go down that path rather than to enact one more tax that, like so many other “sin taxes” such as those on tobacco and alcohol, do little — if any — good in preventing addiction and other abuse.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $3.92/week.

Subscribe Today