Nygren Proposes Bills Addressing Misuse Of Prescription Drugs

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.”

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.