SB48 - Patient Opiate Risk Education Act

• Requires each controlled substances certifying board to adopt rules for practitioner strategies to mitigate abuse and diversion of controlled substances, including mandatory opiate risk education for patients.

• Opiate risk education must include information on addiction and overdose risks, dangers of mixing opioids with alcohol and benzodiazepines, reasons for the prescription, and available alternative treatments.

• Practitioners may require written acknowledgment from patients (or parents/guardians for patients under 18) confirming they understand risks of physical or psychological dependence.

• Each certifying board must develop and post a sample patient acknowledgement form on its website; practitioners are not required to maintain written records of the education provided.

• Compliance or noncompliance with the act cannot be used as evidence in civil negligence actions and does not constitute medical practice standards.