States Look to Pass Bill in Fight Against America’s Opioid Crisis

An increase in opioid prescribing throughout the nation is raising huge concerns as the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs continues to increase dramatically. In 2014, studies revealed that over 2 million people in the U.S. from San Diego, California to the East Coast suffered from opioid-related addictions that would require treatment in drug rehab centers.

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) have been set in place throughout 49 states — all except Missouri — that allow officials to collect data on prescriptions for the use of educating doctors and the public about opioid abuse. However, only 27 of those states have made consulting the national database mandatory for doctors before prescribing an opioid.

With the intention of fighting opioid abuse and addiction in San Diego and elsewhere, California and Maine have gathered support from law enforcement groups to help make some changes. The two states are now considering bills that make pre-checking the database mandatory before any prescribing of opioid medications. 

Opioid addiction isn’t just a prevailing issue from San Diego to the East Coast, but it’s an ongoing war worldwide. The National Institute of Drug Abuse reports that somewhere between 25 million and 36 million people are addicted to opioid medications. A small percentage of these people seek drug rehab centers for help, but often addicts fail to seek treatment.

In 1999, 4,030 people died from prescription opioid overdoses; in 2014 that number shot up to a shocking 19,000. The trend is clearly on the rise, and changes need to be made because drug rehab centers are only seeing an increase in patients seeking opioid addiction treatment.

It’s been determined that educating doctors in San Diego and elsewhere on the correct amount for opioid prescriptions is an important step to take throughout the country. Common opioids such as hydrocodone are prescribed for chronic pain treatment, but they also yield high risks for addiction development. So where do you find the right balance of prescriptions?

That’s where it gets tough — and we rely on doctors to make the right call. Implementing PDMP could be the key to lowering the rates of addiction and number of people in drug rehab centers for opioid addiction treatment, but more states need to jump on board with making pre-checking a mandatory protocol.

California and Maine are proposing changes by making pre-checking databases mandatory for doctors before they prescribe opioids. If this change yields positive results, then maybe other states will follow in their lead and help fight this war against opioid abuse in America.

Alyssa Koenig is a health writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Miramar Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centers. Follow on Twitter.