U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) has stepped up to help battle what the White House says cost the nation $504 billion in 2015: the nation’s surging opioid epidemic.
Katko on Nov. 15 sponsored and introduced the bipartisan H.R. 4408, which would amend the Controlled Substances Act and institute an initial seven-day supply limit on such drugs prescribed for acute pain to stem their over-prescription.
Modeled after current New York State law, the proposed bill would require medical professionals as part of their Drug Enforcement Agency registration to certify that they won’t prescribe opioids in an amount exceeding a seven-day supply as an initial acute-pain treatment and won’t provide a refill.
Across the nation, many cases of heroin and opioid addiction started after a patient was overprescribed an opioid painkiller and then became hooked while following the doctor’s orders. These addicts transition from prescription opioids to heroin as it is less expensive than illegally purchasing prescription pills on the street. The heroin and opioid addiction epidemic has caused a rising number of overdose deaths in the United States.
“The opioid drug epidemic has devastated families in Central New York and communities nationwide,” said Congressman Katko, who pointed to the over-prescription of highly addictive opioids as one of the root causes of related drug overdoses in the United States.
By limiting the supply, the bill also aims to help reduce the risk of opioid dependency, added Katko, who previously served as a senior trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division in the narcotics and dangerous drug section. He also led high-level narcotics federal prosecutions in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York.
The bill would apply to prescriptions for pain related to such maladies as a broken bone or wisdom teeth extraction, but the seven-day limit would not apply to chronic pain treatment, cancer pain treatment or hospice or other end-of-life or palliative care treatments.
Katko’s New York State colleague U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, joined him in introducing the bill.
“The opioid epidemic is tearing apart families and friends while infecting whole communities on Long Island, Queens and throughout the nation,” said Suozzi. “Our bipartisan legislation takes a big step toward preventing people from being over-prescribed and beginning a downward spiral towards dependency on opioids.”
H.R. 4408 has been referred to both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Judiciary Committee.
U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a companion Senate bill.