Res. No. 22

Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.337 and A.2091/S.1934, to require prescribing physicians to perform additional actions, such as counseling the patient on the risks of addiction and overdose, when prescribing certain opioids.

By Council Member Holden

Whereas, Opioids include narcotics intended to manage pain from surgery, injury, or illness, and individuals who require surgery are at higher risk of opioid addiction; and

Whereas, According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post, more than 4 in 10 long-term opioid users say they started taking painkillers for chronic pain, 25 percent started because of pain after a surgery, and 25 percent because of pain after an accident or injury; and

Whereas, Opioid abuse and death are at epidemic levels in the United States (U.S.), and, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 92,000 people died of drug overdoses in America in 2020; and

Whereas, According to the New York State Department of Health (DOH), there were more than six and a half million opioid analgesic prescriptions provided to New York State residents in 2019; and

Whereas, The crude rate of opioid analgesic prescriptions in 2019 was more than 200 out of 1,000 people in New York City; and

Whereas, According to New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), overdose deaths in New York City remained at epidemic levels in 2019, and every 4 hours someone in New York City dies from a drug overdose; and

Whereas, According to DOHMH, of the 2,062 people in New York City who died of a drug overdose in 2020, 85 percent of those overdose deaths involved an opioid; and

Whereas, Of those who died from opioid overdose in 2020 in New York City, 16 percent involved prescription opioid painkillers (excluding fentanyl and tramadol); and

Whereas, In New York State, all registered opioid overdose programs are furnished Naloxone (Narcan) by DOH, which is a prescription medicine that reverses an overdose by blocking opioids in the brain for 30 to 90 minutes; and

Whereas, In 2015, the New York City Health Commissioner authorized an order to make naloxone available without a prescription in participating pharmacies, and naloxone is currently available without a prescription in pharmacies citywide including all major chains; and

Whereas, It is crucial for those who are at risk of opioid overdose to know about the risks of opioids and how they can get assistance if they were to become addicted or experience an overdose; and

Whereas, A.337, sponsored by Assembly Member Edward Braunstein, would help combat the opioid crisis by requiring that, for the first opioid analgesic prescription of a calendar year, the prescribing physician shall counsel the patient on the risk of overdose and inform the patient of the availability of an opioid antagonist; and

Whereas, A.2091/S.1934, sponsored by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and Senator Fred Akshar, would help combat the opioid crisis by requiring practitioners to counsel their patients regarding the details of their prescriptions and risks when they issue a prescription for a schedule II opioid; and

Whereas, Both bills will help prevent opioid misuse and overdose by ensuring all New Yorkers receive the information they need to have a basic understanding of the risks of taking opioids once they receive a prescription; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.337 and A.2091/S.1934, to require prescribing physicians to perform additional actions, such as counseling the patient on the risks of addiction and overdose, when prescribing certain opioids.

Session 12

JB

LS #1257

2/14/22 12:34pm

Session 11

EB

LS #6972

Int. 476-2018