BILL NUMBER:  S7365

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the public health law, in relation
to patient counseling before issuing a prescription for a schedule II
opioid

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

This bill will authorize a practitioner to consult with a patient in
regards to the quantity of an opioid prescribed.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section 1 establishes that a practitioner must consult with a patient
regarding the quantity of an opioid as well as the patient's option to
fill the prescription in a lesser quantity. The patient must also be
informed of the risk associated with an opioid-related addiction.  The
reason for the prescription is to be documented in the patient's
medical record.

Section 2 states the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

A rising number of New Yorkers are suffering from opioid addiction
that starts with a legal prescription. According to the New York
              

Times, in 2015 75% of heroin addicts had previously been prescribed or
used prescription opioids.

In order to combat this crisis, we must give patients the opportunity
and right to be prescribed lower doses of pain killers. In a recent
study of large chain pharmacies, one pharmacy found "42 outlier
prescribers out of more than 1 million. Within that chain alone, the
42 each issued prescriptions for about 5,000 average monthly doses of
high-risk drugs over 21 months. On an annual basis that would
cumulatively total more than 4 million dosage units" (John Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, 19).

Statistics have shown that approximately 70% of individuals who use
opioid pain relievers on a non-medical basis, received used drugs from
either family members or friends (John Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health, 26). These numbers demonstrate that physicians continue
to over-prescribe prescription pain killers which can lead to
addiction. Patients should have the right to ask for lower dosages of
painkillers so they will not have excess medication that could be
abused by family members or friends.

Medical practitioners will also be required to document the
prescription as well as the dosage in the patient's medical history.
This will help track the patients use of addictive pain medication as
well as act as a deterrent to physicians who over prescribe opioids.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.