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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 24, 2017 11:57 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Court Assessments for Nonnarcotic Medication Substance Abuse Treatment Program |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to further address Pennsylvania’s ongoing opioid epidemic by better utilizing FDA-approved medication. Long-acting nonnarcotic, non-addictive medications have been used to successfully treat those with serious opioid addictions, and have been shown to be effective at leading to full sobriety and independence from addiction. My legislation would create the Court Assessment for Nonnarcotic Medication Substance Abuse Treatment Program. This will increase opportunities for courts to provide the long-acting nonnarcotic, non-addictive medication in conjunction with comprehensive substance abuse treatment programs. The goal of the legislation is to better serve defendants who are addicted to opioids by providing a non-habit forming treatment option. Utilizing long-acting, nonnarcotic, non-addictive medications has been shown to reduce a person’s need for treatment to around 6-12 months. This bill will be a step in the right direction for increasing access to these treatment medications, and is another step in the multi-faceted approach to combating this horrific epidemic. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as SB922