Asm. Autumn Burke Fights Opioid Addiction in Children

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Asm. Autumn Burke's (D-Inglewood) legislation, AB 2741, aiming to stop the abuse of prescription opioids in minors, cleared the Assembly Business & Professions committee today.   This legislation addresses the opioid epidemic through parental education, providing reasonable parameters on the subscriptions to minors, and ensuring conversations occur between a physician, parent, and children. 

"As a legislator and a mother, it is imperative to protect our children from addiction before it has a chance to start," said Assemblywoman Burke. "Forty percent of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription and over 120,000 addicts are under the age of 21. This is an insidious crisis which compels us to take action," added Assemblywoman Burke.

The Protecting Children from Opioid Addiction Act or AB 2741 is co-authored by Assembly Republican Leader Brian Dahle, R- Bieber.  It limits prescriptions of opioids for minors to a 5-day supply for acute pain management.  Exceptions include hospice & palliative care patients, cancer patients and individuals who are being treated for substance abuse disorders.

"I've seen the dangers of the opioid crisis in Northern California first hand," stated Dahle. "People need solutions and this is a common sense step to keep our children safe. The bill strikes a balance by providing kids the treatment they need without adding another stockpile of overprescribed medication to the streets."

In 2015, the amount of opioids prescribed was enough for every American to be medicated around the clock for 3 weeks. The FDA and the CDC, agree that overprescribing of opioid medications has directly contributed to the addiction crisis.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly half of young people who inject heroin reported abusing prescription opioids before heroin. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates 80% of all users arrive at heroin after abusing opioid painkillers.

"Our communities are saturated with opioid prescriptions; in some cities and towns in California, the amount of opioid prescriptions outnumbers the population," said Assemblywoman Burke. "I'm proud to join my colleagues as we work towards bi-partisan, comprehensive solutions that will protect families from tragedies."

AB 2741 has the support of the California State PTA, California Dental Association, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and the California Chamber of Commerce.

SOURCE California State Assemblymember, Autumn Burke