Carpino Supports Public Health Committee Action On Opioid Legislation

File Photo Rep. Carpino

News Release:

From State Rep. 

Christie Carpino

32nd General Assembly District: Cromwell and Portland

Hartford – State Representative Christie Carpino (Cromwell/Portland), member of the state’s Public Health Committee, voted in favor of legislation aimed at curbing the dramatic spike in opioid-related deaths across the state.

Photo from 8Weeks2Thrive

“No community is immune from this epidemic. Although legislation cannot stop every tragedy, we can certainly do our best to limit such occurrences,” stated Rep. Carpino. “The legislation approved today takes a big step to decrease the growing trend of opiate-related abuse and deaths.”

Carpino participated in a bi-partisan press conference today unveiling legislation to help control the widespread abuse and misuse of opioids.

 The committee approved two opioid-specific pieces of legislation. The first, Senate Bill 352 - An Act Concerning Prescriptions For And The Dispensing Of Opioid Antagonists And Opioid Drugs, limits the prescriptive supply amount of opiate-based medication.

SB 352 will limit initial prescriptions of opioids to adults to no more than a seven-day supply. The same seven-day cap applies to minors, with an additional provision requiring the prescribing physician to provide an overview of associated risks and why the prescription is necessary for treatment. In addition, the bill states a practitioner may prescribe more than a seven day supply if the opioid drug is required to treat a patient’s medical condition, chronic pain, cancer-associated pain, or for palliative use.

Photo from AgaClip

The second piece of legislation, Senate Bill 353 – An Act Concerning Opioid Use Disorder, adds membership to the established Alcohol and Drug Policy Council within the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to produce recommendations on how to minimize opioid-related issues.

Carpino further explained that education is a major key to reversing the growing trend of opioid abuse. Stakeholders ranging from physicians, first responders, and pharmacists will comprise the new membership of the council to examine a larger scope of subject matter including, but not limited to, methods for safer drug prescribing and dispensing, overdose rescue strategies, and recovery support systems.

Both bills will now head to the Senate for further legislative action, which must be completed prior to the end of the current legislative session ending Wednesday, May 4th.

State Representative Christie Carpino represents the 32nd District of Cromwell and Portland. She is Co-Chair of the legislature’s Program Review and Investigation Committee, and sits on the Judiciary and Public Health Committees.