Proposed Seven-Day Limit To Opioid Bill Enters Congress

A new Senate bill would limit the amount of opioids a patient can initially receive for acute pain. If passed, physicians could only prescribe seven days’ worth of opioids when first treating a patient’s condition.

The bill was put forward by Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) as a way to prevent opioid addiction. The limit is backed up by medical literature and is there are nine states with similar opioid laws in place.

“Our legislation builds on the important steps taken by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey last fall to tackle a root cause of this epidemic by limiting the supply of an initial opioid prescription for acute pain to seven days. We have a long way to go to end the scourge of drugs across our communities, but this legislation is an important step forward in preventing people from getting hooked on these deadly drugs,” said McCain in a press release.

“Too many lives have been destroyed, too many families have been torn apart, and too many communities all over New York are suffering because of this tragic epidemic. I am proud to join with Senator McCain in this urgent fight against the overprescription of opioids, and I look forward to seeing it pass through the Senate as quickly as possible,” said Gillibrand in a press release.