Rhode Island is among 5 states that limited opioids in 2016
By Michelle R. Smith, Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ Rhode Island is one of five states that enacted limits on first-time opioid prescriptions this year after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for even tighter restrictions.
They’re part of a legislative package that takes a comprehensive approach to the state’s opioid overdose crisis.
The new rules restrict initial prescriptions for outpatient adults to 20 doses of 30 morphine milligram equivalents each. The rules do not apply to patients with pain associated with cancer, palliative or nursing home care, and apply only to those with acute, not chronic, pain.
State Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott says the restrictions don’t apply to people with chronic pain because some of those people are already addicted. Other provisions in the legislation are meant to improve treatment options.
© The Associated Press WLNE-TV 2016
