After passing a package of bills aimed at combating heroin last session, state lawmakers are looking to regulate over-the-counter opiates.
State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said he wants to focus on prescription opiates this session because they’re often what leads to heroin addiction.
“There is a legitimate use for opiates in our society,” he said. “We are not looking to limit that access. We are looking to limit illegal access or addiction from taking place.”
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One of Nygren’s bills would require pharmacists to more immediately report the prescription of opiates in a statewide database that doctors would be required to check.
Another bill would require police to notify doctors if prescription narcotics are found at the scene of a drug crime or overdose.
Yet another would require methadone clinics, which treat addiction, to register with the state. Right now, Nygren said they’re largely unregulated.
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