On August 10, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution opposing a bill in the Michigan House of Representatives that would have a dramatic effect on doctors’ ability to prescribe opioids regardless of medical conditions.
House Bill 4601 would bar chronic pain patients from being prescribed opioids that exceed 100 morphine milligram equivalents per day. This absolute limit on dosage amounts is a dramatic change from current law and makes no accommodation for a patient’s medical history, condition, or absence of evidence of addiction.
The Board of Commissioners found that the bill “infringes on a doctor’s ability to care for patients by substituting the legislature’s opinion for the opinion of individual medical professionals.”
The Board further stated, “[O]pioid addiction is a traumatic problem in our state and country that must be addressed, [but] Oakland County urges our State Legislators to take a balanced approach that specifically targets addiction and abuse while protecting the rights of patients for whom these prescriptions are medically necessary.”
Commissioner Adam Kochenderfer introduced the resolution after seeing his own wife suffer from chronic pain and realizing that HB 4601 could devastate patients across Michigan if passed. “There is a group of individuals for whom opioids are medically necessary after all other treatments fail,” stated Kochenderfer. “While we must stop the opioid epidemic sweeping our nation, it cannot be at the expense of millions of people who legitimately need these medications. We can save lives without swinging the pendulum of thoughtless regulation.”
For additional information, visit www.oakgov.com/boc.
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