Logan applauds passage of opioid legislation

HARTFORD - State Sen. George S. Logan, R-Ansonia, today stood in strong support of HB 7052, An Act Preventing Prescription Opioid Diversion and Abuse.

“I am thrilled to report that this legislation was unanimously adopted by the Senate this afternoon in concurrence with the House,”

State Sen. George S. Logan

Logan said. 
“Communities and families across the state have been increasingly impacted by opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse, this bill works to address this crisis by taking proactive steps to educate and bring awareness to opioid drug abuse.”

The bill makes several changes to prevent and treat opioid drug abuse, including:

• Requiring individual and group health insurers to cover medically necessary detox treatments
• Requiring a treatment facility to use admissions criteria developed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, which urges admission regardless of health status or addiction levels
• Limiting access to controlled substances by allowing certain registered nurses employed by home health care agencies to destroy or dispose of them
• Requiring practitioners, when prescribing opioids, to discuss with all patients, rather than only minors, the risks associated with opioid drug use
• The bill reduces, from a seven day supply to a five day supply, the maximum amount of an opioid drug a practitioner may prescribe to a minor
• The bill requires prescriptions for controlled substances to be electronically transmitted – with a few exceptions including if the prescriber demonstrates that they do not have the technological capacity
• The bill also creates a standing order – a non-patient specific prescription to licensed pharmacists to prescribe Naloxone

“I want to applaud the hard-work that was put into this bill,” said Logan. “This common-sense legislation encourages prescribers to increase awareness of opioid addiction, it takes steps to help those in need and fosters the proper disposal of unused opioids. The passage of this legislation should be seen as a positive step forward in addressing an epidemic that does not have one solution and in the end I think it will help save lives.”

HB 7052 now heads to the governor’s desk and awaits his signature.

Logan (www.SenatorGeorgeLogan.com) represents Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, and Derby; and parts of Hamden, Naugatuck, and Woodbridge.  

He can be reached at George.Logan@cga.ct.gov and at 800-842-1421.


This is a press release from Logan's office.