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Gov. Malloy Unveils "Common Sense Approach" To Curbing Opioid Addiction, Overdose

Chion Wolf
/
WNPR
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy.

Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy unveiled on Thursday a series of measures aimed at combating and preventing opioid addiction. 

He called the proposals in his legislative package a "common sense approach" to reduce the potential for people becoming addicted and dying from an opioid overdose.

The way it works now, doctors must warn minors of the risk of addiction before prescribing them opioid painkillers. Under the governor's proposal, that warning will be expanded to adults, as well. Patients would be able to refuse opioid medications altogether under the proposed plan.

Also, doctors in Connecticut currently have the option of prescribing opioid painkillers to patients by paper or electronically. Malloy's proposal would require all opioids be prescribed electronically.

"A pad of paper doesn't come from a particular site. It is hard to trace," said Malloy. "If you do it electronically, you can instantaneously trace, and it's easier for us to document who is getting the drug, and who is prescribing the drug."

Citing a statistic that six out of 10 patients never finish their course of opioid painkillers, Malloy's proposal would allow registered home health care nurses the ability to destroy unused medication on behalf of their patient.

Current law only allows the patient or a legal caregiver to do so.

"That means there is a lot of product lying around in homes," Malloy said. "I think everybody who has had a family member involved in any form of addiction, they know that an easy way to find some of these substances are at someone else's house, in that cabinet that's in the bathroom, and suddenly they disappear."

The package also calls for the easing of restrictions to data sharing between state agencies as a way to "root out the bad players."

Malloy said the legislation will be filed in the coming days.

WNPR's Opioid Addiction Crisis Reporting Initiative is supported by Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network's MATCH Program.

Ray Hardman is Connecticut Public’s Arts and Culture Reporter. He is the host of CPTV’s Emmy-nominated original series Where Art Thou? Listeners to Connecticut Public Radio may know Ray as the local voice of Morning Edition, and later of All Things Considered.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.