Rep. Justine Caldwell submitted legislation last week to require signs at pharmacies warning customers about dangers associated with opioids.

The signs would be similar to warning signs that are required where tobacco products are sold, and are meant to ensure that customers are aware of the possible dangers connected with opioids when they fill prescriptions for them.

Caldwell says she views the legislation as a necessary part of a wider response to address the opioid addiction and overdose crisis in Rhode Island.

“The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis. We want to give everyone the knowledge, the reminder, the chance – whether it’s someone who is chronically ill, in recovery, a parent – to use their medication only in the way as prescribed by their doctor. While I would hope they’ve already had conversations about them with their prescribing doctors, warning signs will drive home just how serious these risks are, and prompt them to ask their pharmacist if they have any further questions,” said Representative Caldwell (D-Dist. 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich). “Given the scale of the opioid epidemic, we should be using every available means to ensure that patients who are prescribed opioids are armed with the information they need to prevent dependence.”

The legislation (2019-H 5184) would require the Department of Health to compile a list of the 10 most commonly prescribed drugs containing opioids or other Schedule II controlled substances, and distribute that list to the Board of Pharmacy, which would then distribute the list to every pharmacy in the state, along with warnings about “the overuse, misuse and mixing of those drugs with other drugs and/or alcohol including, but not limited to, dependence, addiction or death.” Each pharmacy would be required to post the sign near where prescriptions are filled.

The bill would also require pharmacists to inform patients about their option to partially fill their prescription, and the procedures for dispensing other partial fills until the prescription is fully dispensed. A law passed by the General Assembly in 2018 allows patients to fill only a portion of their opioid prescription if they choose, to prevent overuse or overdoses. Under the law, they can come back for more of the prescription if they choose, until the prescription has been completely filled, until 31 days after it was first dispensed.

The bill is not expected to result in any significant cost to the state.

The bill’s cosponsors include House Judiciary Chairman Robert E. Craven (D-Dist. 32, North Kingstown); Health, Education and Welfare Committee Chairman Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston); Environment and Natural Resources Committee Chairman David A. Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Warwick, Cranston); and House Minority Whip Michael W. Chippendale (R-Dist. 40, Foster, Glocester, Coventry). The bill has been assigned to the Corporations Committee, of which Representative Caldwell is a member.