Bill > A5489

Introduced Session

This bill requires that, whenever a general acute care hospital conducts a urine drug screening to assist in diagnosing a patient's condition, the urine drug screening is to include a test for the presence of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid that, even in very small amounts, can result in overdose and death. Fentanyl use has significantly increased during the opioid epidemic, in part because, with growing frequency, fentanyl is used to cut other drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. This practice has resulted in increasing overdose deaths, even among people who do not ordinarily use opioid drugs. Currently, urine drug screenings typically include tests for cocaine, certain opioids, and phencyclidine, but not fentanyl. It is the sponsor's belief that mandatory testing for the presence of fentanyl can help prevent overdose deaths by ensuring that patients who have ingested fentanyl, either intentionally or unintentionally, receive proper treatment for a fentanyl overdose. This bill will take effect immediately and expire on January 1, 2028.

AI Summary

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Kevin Rooney (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee (on 05/18/2023)

Official Document