Press Releases
06/08/2015
Gov. Malloy Hails Final Legislative Passage of Bill Combating Substance Abuse and Opioid Overdoses
(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy is applauding the final, unanimous vote in the State Senate of legislation that he introduced that will help curb heroin and prescription opioid abuse through increasing the effectiveness of the state's prescription monitoring program, continued education requirements for practitioners, and greater availability of the overdose reversing drug naloxone in case of emergency.
"Not only do we need to eliminate a lifetime of permanent punishment with our drug laws by giving people a second chance, but we also need to prevent addiction in the first place. This legislation does just that. By ensuring that health care professionals prescribing treatment are utilizing patient history data to help them make smart decisions, we'll curb potential abuse," Governor Malloy said. "In approving this legislation today, we are taking the necessary and smart steps to stem prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths tomorrow. I want to thank the General Assembly for advancing the bill to my desk, especially the advocacy of Senator Terry Gerratana, Representative Matt Ritter, Representative Theresa Conroy and Representative Sean Scanlon. I look forward to signing it into law."
The legislation streamlines the process to help practitioners identify potential abuse by requiring them to check to see if patients seeking certain prescriptions have recently received these medications from multiple other prescribers or pharmacists. Further, in cases of overdose or medical emergency, the legislation saves lives by making naloxone - a drug that reverses overdoses - more widely available, allowing pharmacists, after being trained and certified, to prescribe it to Connecticut families, first responders, and the treatment community across the state.
The legislation is House Bill 6856, An Act Concerning Substance Abuse and Opioid Overdose Prevention. It was approved in the House of Representatives on May 28.
- Twitter: @GovMalloyOffice
- Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy