Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker Signs Bill to Tackle Opioid Abuse

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.

"This is the first law in the nation to limit an opioid prescription and I hope other states consider pursuing something similar," Baker said.

Janis McGrory, of Harwich, said her daughter Liz's addiction started with pills and quickly spiraled out of control.

"Her life was years of numerous detoxes, programs, hospitals, overdoses, court appearances, jail stays and even homelessness," said McGrory. Her daughter, a high school honor student, died in 2011 of a heroin overdose at age 23.

The new law requires school districts to establish substance abuse prevention policies and verbally screen students to assess their risk of addiction. It also creates new training programs for health care providers and law enforcement.

The law took effect immediately upon Baker's signature, but some provisions could take weeks or even months to fully implement.

At one point, Baker became too emotional to speak. The silence was filled by applause from a bipartisan gathering that included Democratic legislative leaders, Attorney General Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

"If this bill helps one family and one addict, it's done its job," said Walsh, who recovered from alcoholism early in his adult life.

Between 2012 and 2014, the number of confirmed unintentional opioid overdose deaths jumped 65 percent, to an estimated total of nearly 1,100 in 2014.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo said funerals for overdose victims had become a near weekly occurrence in his district, with the victims including kids he once coached in baseball.

Passage of the law continued a philosophical shift toward treating addiction not as a crime but a disease, which "grows out of hopelessness, out of pain, out of a feeling that there is no hope and no reason to look at the brighter side of life," said Democratic Senate President Stan Rosenberg.

The measure requires that people treated for overdoses in hospital emergency rooms undergo an evaluation within 24 hours and be given treatment options before discharged. Chris Herren, a former Massachusetts high school basketball star and one-time NBA player whose career was derailed by drug addiction, called the 24-hour provision a good first step, but he and Baker had pushed lawmakers for a longer, 72-hour emergency room hold.

"I've been there four times and I know the last thing on my mind is to figure out where I am going for treatment," said Herren, who now heads a nonprofit organization that helps others access treatment.