Indiana State Senator Randy Head said, “Opioid abuse continues to be an issue for our nation, as individuals, families and entire communities see the damaging effects.”
In Indiana, 488 Hoosiers died of an opioid overdose in 2016 alone, according to data released by the Indiana State Department of Health.
While illegal substances play a role, prescription drugs are also to blame. In fact, addiction to prescription painkillers is often what drives people to use heroin.
In 2016, 6.4 million opioid prescriptions were reported to INSPECT, Indiana’s prescription-monitoring service, ranking our state 11th in the nation for opioid prescriptions per population.
Head said, “To continue to address this issue, one of my colleagues authored Senate Bill 221 this session, which would phase in a requirement over three years for doctors to check INSPECT when prescribing opioids to a patient. This would help prescribers know if a patient already has an opioid prescription from another provider or if a patient has a history of excessive opioid use.”
Preventing the over-prescribing of opioids is one way we can tackle the opioid epidemic.
Click here for more information on SB 221.
