June 19, 2019
Legislation that would further limit opioid prescriptions advanced in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
The Senate voted unanimously on a bill that imposes a seven-day limit on opioid painkiller prescriptions to all adults, according to the Associated Press. The bill expands on a pre-existing law passed in November 2016 by Gov. Tom Wolf that put the same seven-day limit on minors and emergency room patients.
Senate Democrats fought for limits on an exception in the bill that allows for longer prescriptions on major surgeries, according to the AP.
The bill now awaits a vote in the House.
Pennsylvania was one of the first states to limit painkiller prescription periods. Most states have now adopted limits, as the use of painkillers is often linked to opioid abuse, heroin abuse, and overdoses. In March 2016 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines that recommend physicians limit prescriptions for acute pain to no more than seven days.
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