Reporters Note: State Rep. Sean Scanlon (D, D-98 Branford Stony Creek & Pine Orchard; Guilford) announced today the successful passage of a bill calling for stricter controls of opioid prescription practices and improved access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, to help combat the state's growing crisis of opioid and heroin abuse. The bill now heads to the state senate. In March, Scanlon hosted a standing-room only community forum in Branford where experts shared insights on opioid and herion use and abuse in the community and state and local residents, including a mom of a son battling addiction, gave input and asked questions of the experts. See Zip06's report from the forum here

The following press release regarding the bill's passage in the House of Representatives was issued from Rep. Scanlon's office:

Hartford, April 25, 2016:

Today, the House of Representatives passed HB 5053, a bill co-sponsored and co-authored by　State Representative Sean Scanlon　(D-Guilford) that takes a comprehensive approach to combating Connecticut's heroin and opioid epidemic.

"Connecticut, and the United States, is in the midst of a full-blown crisis when it comes to heroin and opioid abuse," said Scanlon. "I'm thankful that my colleagues recognized the need to act and we were able to work on solving this public health epidemic on a bi-partisan basis."

HB 5053 is the second bill Scanlon has co-sponsored and helped pass concerning prescription drug and heroin abuse during his first year and a half in office. His first bill -　Public　Act　15-198 - was passed in 2015 and requires prescription drug abuse education for doctors and other prescribers, cracks down on "doctor shopping" for prescription drugs, and　allows pharmacists to provide life-saving anti-overdose drugs like Narcan over the counter. In addition to passing legislation, Scanlon has held two widely-attended public forums on the issue in Branford and Guilford, met with those suffering from addiction and the doctors who treat them, and spent a night shadowing Hartford Police Department narcotics detectives.

"Since first learning about this issue and the impact it was having among young people especially right here in my district, I decided to try and do something about it from the first day I got to the Capitol as a member of the Public Health committee," said Scanlon.

Overdose deaths related to heroin and opioids have risen dramatically in the last few years. In 2015, 522 Connecticut residents died of a heroin-related overdose - a 27% increase over 2014. In 2012, there were only 86 heroin-related overdoses in the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 4 in 5 new heroin users began by taking powerful prescription pain pills and often turn to heroin because of it's cheap cost relative to prescription drugs.

HB 5053 has several key components:

- Capping prescriptions to limit excess supply: Limits all first-time and non-chronic pain opioid prescriptions for adults to a 7 day supply while exempting those who are treated for chronic pain. The bill allows adults who are still in pain after 7 days to get a refill for an amount determined by their doctor. It also requires doctors prescribing an opioid to a minor to discuss the risks of addiction with the minor and their minor's parent or guardian.

- Ensuring First Responders carry life-saving drug: Requires all 169 towns to update their local emergency medical services plan to ensure the that first emergency medical responder on the scene is equipped with naloxone, a life-saving overdose reversal drug. Per the Department of Public Health, Connecticut EMS providers have used this drug on 7,100 individuals since 2012.

- Eliminating insurance discrimination for overdose reversal drugs: Prohibits commercial health carriers from requiring prior authorization for coverage of naloxone.

- Expanding screening for drug and alcohol abuse by licensed counselors.

- Strengthens the ability for doctors to refer patients who they suspect of possible substance abuse to a licensed alcohol and drug counselor for further diagnosis, screening, and treatment.

"This landmark legislation represents a significant step forward in our fight against heroin and opioid addiction," said　Scanlon. "By becoming just the second state in the nation to cap non-chronic pain prescriptions, we will dramatically reduce the excess supply of pain pills that flood our society and are the reason four in five new heroin users begin their deadly addiction. There is no silver bullet solution to this crisis but, with this legislation, I'm confident we are making substantial progress that will prevent future addictions from beginning and help Connecticut communities and families currently affected by this epidemic."

The bill will now go before the Senate for a vote.