Gov. Baker to unveil bill aimed at curbing opioid abuse

The legislation would restrict patients to a three-day supply of painkillers the first time they are prescribed an opioid drug, or when they receive a prescription from a new doctor. Marylou Sudders, the state’s secretary of Health and Human Services, said the state is also in contract talks with a new vendor to revamp the monitoring program.

The legislation is also aimed at controlling the spread of addictive prescription opioids and increase education about substance use disorder for providers and in the community.

The bill also gives medical professionals the authority to involuntarily commit someone for treatment for 72 hours if they pose an immediate danger, including to themselves. Treatment beds will be expanded in secure facilities similar to what exists now at the Women’s Addiction Treatment Center in New Bedford, where the fortunate women who are civilly committed go if there’s enough room.

Baker, speaking at a late-morning press conference, said he’s been struck by stories detailing the massive flow of prescription opiates to patients, sometimes in 60- to 80-tablet bundles at once.

According to Members of the Massachusetts Medical Society and the Massachusetts Dental Society Baker’s assessment is not fair.

“I think that we should have the specialists in addiction and pain treatment weigh in very carefully on that, because we don’t want to have a mandate out there for involuntary commitment if there’s little evidence that it would be a useful approach”, Dimitri said.

“To take away an individual’s civil liberties, to treat them like a prisoner when they have not been convicted of any crime, and to not provide them the treatment that is the underlying objective of the statute itself doesn’t make sense”, Rossman said.

Kehoe sees the 72-hour detention plan as controversial, but thinks it could work if done thoughtfully and with the right resources for addicts. “Those are the challenges”.

Already, a lawsuit was filed in June 2014 by the American Civil Liberties Union to stop the placement of women in prison. “I have lots of friends and lots of colleagues in the health care world”.

“I’m a health care guy”, said Baker, who once headed Harvard Pilgrim.

The bill would also tighten rules governing how often doctors check a patient’s prescription data, forcing them to check with the statewide prescription monitoring program each time a script is written.

The House speaker’s office says Speaker Robert DeLeo is listening to proposals.