Bill > S03521

This bill amends the public health law to require health practitioners to discuss the risks associated with certain pain medications, including opioids, before prescribing them. The bill specifically requires practitioners to discuss the risks of addiction, overdose, and the dangers of mixing opioids with alcohol and other central nervous system depressants. Additionally, for the first opioid analgesic prescription of a calendar year, the prescribing physician must counsel the patient on the risks of overdose and inform the patient of the availability of opioid antagonists like naloxone.