As we all know, drug addiction is indeed a serious problem that is affecting the entire world today. It seems like wherever you are, that place is struggling with their own problem with drugs. It’s either they have high rates of crimes as a result of drugs or the number of users and addicts are quickly increasing. But one reason why this problem is so difficult to solve is the lack of drug addiction treatment centers.
In Ohio, an addiction recovery treatment bill has been passed. This bill is meant to provide easier access to drug addiction recovery treatment, sponsored by Ohio House Representative Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville), was approved unanimously across party lines by the Ohio House on Wednesday. House Bill 167, known as Daniel’s Law, allows pharmacists to dispense, and even administer, an emergency refill of naltrexone, known by its brand name Vivitrol, under “limited circumstances,” according to a release from Edwards’ office.
Click here for more info.
“The drug epidemic is devastating families and communities, and has cost thousands of Ohioans their lives,” Edwards said in a release. “These are not statistics. These are Ohioans, our constituents. We must use every tool we have at our disposal to counter this epidemic and save lives.”
According to the text of the bill, certain conditions must be met for a pharmacist to provide the Vivitrol, which, when combined with counseling and other services, has proven effective in treating individuals who are addicted to opiates. It works by blocking receptors in the brain so users don’t feel cravings and won’t get a high even if they take opioids. It’s administered once a month as a shot.
The bill notes that pharmacists can only provide the Vivitrol if the pharmacist is able to verify a record of a prescription for the drug, and only if the drug is “necessary to continue the patient’s therapy for substance use disorder,” among other requirements.
Edwards said in the release that the bill is named after Daniel Weidle, who suffered a fatal drug overdose after allegedly being unable to access his Vivitrol prescription…
