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North Carolina introduces sweeping opioid legislation

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North Carolina introduces sweeping opioid legislation

A joint-legislation bill introduced in North Carolina on Thursday would require doctors to prescribe opioids electronically and would limit prescriptions to a five-day supply, among a lengthy list of proposed reforms. 

Both the state House and the Senate are calling the legislation the Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention Act of 2017, or STOP. According to media reports, proponents and seven sponsors in both lawmaking bodies hope the bills would together limit the supply of opioids in its cities and towns, many of which have been hit hard by the opioid abuse epidemic.  

Drafts of both H.B. 243 and S.B. 175 are identical. Specifically, the bills would require prescribers and pharmacies to adhere to new reporting standards that include electronic prescriptions, investigations into the patient’s prescription history, and, in some cases, documented rationale for prescribing. 

Noncompliance would carry civil penalties for pharmacies at up to $10,000 a year. The legislation also calls for audits of prescribers. 

 

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