The Washington State Attorney
General’s Office, Washington State Patrol and the Washington Association of
Prosecuting Attorneys have issued a 29-page report with seven recommended goals
to reduce illegal opioid use.
The first goal is to increase
public awareness about the dangers of opioids (http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2017/11/opioid-crisis-washington-states-response.html).
The second goal is to prevent
addiction by curtailing overprescribing. The report makes the following
recommendations,
1. Establish
limits on the amount of initial opioid prescriptions.
2. Require
patients to acknowledge that they have been informed on the dangers of opioids
upon initial prescription.
3. Support
requirements or incentives for alternative pain management treatments.
The medical and dental industries
can help reduce opioid addiction with judiciously prescribing opioids and other
non-opioid pain relievers. The report points out that dentists are the biggest
prescribers of opioids to youth, with emergency medicine providers the second
highest.
Prescribing more than a week’s
supply of opioids almost doubles the chance that the patients will still be
using opioids one year later.
Some states limit the amount of
initial opioid prescriptions. The state of Washington is moving to establish
opioid restrictions. The report points out that as patients and medical
providers become educated about opioid dangers and the state establishes
limits, an effort needs to be made to develop and expand other non-addicting
anti-pain treatments.
Next post, part 3; reduce the
illicit use of prescription opioids.
For the complete report, go to,
Washington State Attorney General’s Office:
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