An effort to combat the opioid crisis in Minnesota is now entrenched in legislation.
Governor Tim Walz signed a bill that includes new fees for pharmaceutical companies with the revenue used to offset the cost of intervention, treatment and recovery programs.
Walz says it’s a start to curbing the problem.
“The end of this is making sure that we prescribe these powerful drugs, they are properly prescribed, they’re appropriately used their disposed up and people who shouldn’t or do not need them don’t get them,” says Walz.
The bill also allows for more people to have access and use naxolone to help those who have overdosed, and places restrictions on the number of pills a patient can obtain.
Dr. Charles Reznikoff, who specializes in alternative addition treatments, says there’s some onus on physicians to do there part.
“We should be checking the prescription monitoring program. We should be limiting the number of days of opioids we give. We should be continuing to educate ourselves about opiates in pain. This is important stuff,” says Dr. Reznikoff.
