Virginia has a narcotics law which is there to help the residents of the state. The state has approved emergency regulations according to which it will be able to regulate the opioids prescription that is given. Opioids can be quite harmful to the body because even though they have a pain killing effect, they also have drugs such as heroin in them and this has become a huge problem in the state. As a response to that, the lawmakers decided to pass a law to monitor this and administer the distribution of these drugs for pain.
The state decided to make this law when they noticed the alarming increase in the number of deaths from opioids. It was seen that 822 people died from an overdose of these narcotics in the year 2016. This is an alarming number, and the state had to step up to save its residents from harm in the future. An official from the authorities said that there are three people dying every day in the state because of an opioid overdose and this situation is very grave. In the state, there were a lot of hepatitis C cases in the past year. This disease occurs when drugs are injected through used injections. Up to 9000 cases were reported which is a huge figure.
The laws are as follows:
- The providers will be monitored, and they can only give a certain amount of opioids to the patients.
- Also, other forms of painkillers must be administered first, and opioids should be the last choice.
- To give opioids to the patients, the practitioner must physically check the patient first and get information about the history of the individual.
- It was also said in this meeting that another drug should be administered that is called Naloxone. This drug reverses the effect of overdosing and keeps the user safe.
Health Commissioner of the state declared a health emergency in the state in November. This is why these laws were passed because the state recognizes that the health of its residents is very important. The authorities said that the situation was getting worse and they did not want to lose more and more of their youth to this issue. This is why they had to take a stand for making sure that everything was under control and youth does not turn to street drugs.
Use of Buprenorphine
This is another drug that is used for the treatment of opioid addiction. People are using it a lot and without proper consolation or even talking to their doctors. This is another thing that is taking lives, and the authorities have said that they would regulate the use of this drug too. They said that we will administer everything after mentoring so that patients get medications after counseling and not any other thing that they find on the streets. In any case, it is important that people also cooperate with the government to ensure their own safety and proper implementation of these rules.