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Opioid Bills Head To The Governor’s Desk

pills in hand
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Legislation aimed at curbing the state’s opioid crisis is on its way to the governor. 

The goal of the legislation is to stop doctor shopping and pill mills. The bills put new limits and requirements on people trying to get certain prescriptions. One bill would require patients show a relationship with the physician who prescribes their opiates.

Democratic Senator Steve Bieda is a bill sponsor. He says requiring a relationship will help prevent “doctor shopping.”

“You’ve got some doctors that are maybe less scrupulous than most doctors are and you start to have a lot of these drugs enter the system.” Says Bieda.

The bipartisan legislation would also require that doctors check a registry to see a patient’s prescription history.

Before becoming the newest Capitol reporter for Michigan Public Radio Network, Cheyna Roth was an attorney. She spent her days fighting it out in court as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ionia County.
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