Bill > S3274

Introduced Session

This bill requires hospitals that conduct a urine drug screening in the course of treating a patient to include in the screening testing for fentanyl and xylazine. If the urine drug screening detects fentanyl, xylazine, or both, the hospital will be required to report the test results in a form and manner as prescribed by the Commissioner of Health. Both fentanyl, which is a powerful synthetic opioid, and xylazine, which is a potent animal tranquilizer, have been associated with sharp increases in overdose deaths, exacerbating mortality rates in the already-deadly opioid epidemic. Both fentanyl and xylazine have been found in other street drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, with increasing frequency, and both drugs can increase the risk of a fatal overdose. Although some users of street drugs may specifically seek out fentanyl, xylazine, or both, others may be at increased risk of overdose because they are not aware these drugs may be present in the substances they are consuming. Currently, hospital urine drug screenings do not routinely test for fentanyl or xylazine, which may result in delays in the patient receiving the level or type of treatment needed to reverse an overdose. It is the sponsor's intent to ensure that health care workers have the information they need to properly treat patients experiencing an overdose, as well as to ensure the State has the data it needs to evaluate and properly respond to the increasing prevalence of fentanyl and xylazine in New Jersey.

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Kristin Corrado (R)*,  Vin Gopal (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 05/16/2024)

Official Document