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Massachusetts governor chokes up at painkiller bill signing
Associated Press ^ | Mar. 14, 2016 2:56 PM EDT | Bob Salsberg

Posted on 03/14/2016 7:52:55 PM PDT by Olog-hai

An emotional Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday signed what he called the most comprehensive law in the nation to combat an opioid addiction scourge, including a seven-day limit on first-time prescriptions for opiate painkillers.

The Republican governor struggled to maintain his composure while recalling families he had met — some standing behind him at the Statehouse ceremony — who had lost loved ones to a “deadly, merciless epidemic” and others who were desperately seeking help for a family member.

In recent years, the opiate-abuse epidemic has claimed thousands of lives in Massachusetts. The law, which was given final approval by the Legislature last week, establishes new rules and procedures for the prescribing of opiate painkillers. Supporters of the limits say most heroin addicts first become hooked on painkillers that were either prescribed or obtained illegally. …

(Excerpt) Read more at bigstory.ap.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Government; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: charliebaker; heroin; opioids; overdose; painkillers; wod
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1 posted on 03/14/2016 7:52:55 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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2 posted on 03/14/2016 7:53:40 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: Olog-hai

So because some abuse opiates the rest of us will be restricted.

.


3 posted on 03/14/2016 7:55:31 PM PDT by Mears
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To: Olog-hai

Baker is an ass. RINO doesn’t even begin to describe him.


4 posted on 03/14/2016 7:56:35 PM PDT by Wyrd bið ful aræd (Don't Tread On Me)
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To: Olog-hai

Punish the innocent. It’s the pro/regressive way.


5 posted on 03/14/2016 7:57:43 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it." --Samuel Clemens)
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To: Mears

That pretty much sums it up....


6 posted on 03/14/2016 7:57:50 PM PDT by CAluvdubya (<---has now left CA for NV, where God/guns have not been outlawed! Prayers for Trump and family)
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To: Mears

This is coming tot he forefront because it is killing wealthy people now; here in NJ they had a recent case where they wanted to try the dealers for murder because some rich kid died. Never came up with crack or meth, but now it is an issue because of who is dying...


7 posted on 03/14/2016 7:59:40 PM PDT by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: kearnyirish2

That’s what is sounds like.

With “Republicans” like Baker, who needs Democrats?


8 posted on 03/14/2016 8:00:32 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Wyrd bið ful aræd
Baker is an ass. RINO doesn’t even begin to describe him.

Even so, he's a few notches up from Deval Patrick.

9 posted on 03/14/2016 8:02:15 PM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Question is, is it enough?


10 posted on 03/14/2016 8:03:25 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

This is a disaster for chronic pain people.


11 posted on 03/14/2016 8:04:24 PM PDT by Jim Noble (Diseases desperate grown, are by desperate appliance relieved, or not at all)
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To: Olog-hai

I guess if you’ve got cancer you better not last more than 7 days.


12 posted on 03/14/2016 8:04:30 PM PDT by Husker24
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To: Mears

So, only seven days for my broken femur and the surgery. I guess they could get me to beg to die that way and reduce costs.


13 posted on 03/14/2016 8:04:31 PM PDT by Ingtar (45.3% del allocated. Trump 37.5%, Cruz 30.1% Rubio 13.4% of req for nomination 3/14)
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To: DoughtyOne
I wish him a long year of physical therapy after a compound fractured femur, shredded quad muscles and artery that required 7 hours of surgery to repair, broken ribs, broken clavicle, and broken orbital sockets without serious pain medication.
14 posted on 03/14/2016 8:07:21 PM PDT by blackdog (There is no such thing as healing, only a balance between destructive and constructive forces.)
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To: Mears
the docs had been basically forced to order all these pain meds due to some national directive from many yrs ago that demanded that docs and hospitals must treat pain, and it had to be written down and outcomes noted...judging people was out of the question....

so if a guy with a bad back just had to have 320mg of hydrocodone daily(true story) then that was that..

so what happened when these drugs were prescribed legally?.....did people act responsible?...no

did people make good decisions?...no...

did a legal does suddenly not become enough and more and more and more demanded?...yes...

I heard a story today that an end of life pt told her provider that she was not using her pain pills, oxy, because she was giving them to her grandson to sell for money, because that was all she had to give him....sad....

15 posted on 03/14/2016 8:09:23 PM PDT by cherry
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To: Olog-hai

What a frikkin joke, If I didn’t have the opiates, I immediately went into shock and dropped, I took as much as I wanted for 3 months, usually 50 Percodan every 3 days, YES I was ADDICTED. They Knew it, it was done intentionally, the accident I had required it. But After the Surgery I went through the withdrawls in the Hospital. Needless to say I rarely take Pain Pills ever since, but when I do, it is an Opiate, usually Vicodin.


16 posted on 03/14/2016 8:10:44 PM PDT by eyeamok
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To: Olog-hai

The unintended (or maybe it IS intended) consequence of all of these “compassionate” laws restricting legitimate pain medications will be forcing people suffering from chronic pain to resort to street drugs like heroin that will kill many more than the prescription meds ever would. Morons.


17 posted on 03/14/2016 8:14:00 PM PDT by 43north (BHO: 50% black, 50% white, 100% red.)
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Even so, he’s a few notches up from Deval Patrick.

.......................................................

How is he better?


18 posted on 03/14/2016 8:15:55 PM PDT by bramps (It's the Islam, stupid!)
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To: blackdog

If I’m understanding this right, isn’t that simply a cut-off of one week on the initial prescription?

Extending it will probably cost a doctor’s visit fee. Did they account for that?

If they’re going to limit the script, they should make provision for a freebee as a follow up script.

Other than that, I wouldn’t object. Pain meds are very important.

Back in the 90s and early 2000s, they were looking for ways to provide better pain relief in hospital settings.

I had to have morphine at one point, and one of the doctors suggested I liked it too much. What a dumb ass. I had extremely intense pain from blood clotting from my lungs down to my feet.

It was so acute, my senses seemed to flow off the bed, under the door and out into the hall.

It seriously hurt when someone made noise outside my room, it was so bad.

So some of these jokers don’t have a clue.


19 posted on 03/14/2016 8:16:45 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Facing Trump nomination inevitability, folks are now openly trying to help Hillary destroy him.)
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To: Olog-hai

Politicians Gone Wild!


20 posted on 03/14/2016 8:16:59 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (America is not a dump, sewer or "refugee" camp. It's my home.)
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