CA AB1998

Requires all health care practitioners (except veterinarians) to adopt a safe opioid prescribing policy by July 1, 2019 for Schedule II and III opioids.

Safe prescribing policies must address appropriate dosage and duration for acute pain in adults and pediatrics, non-opioid alternatives, patient assessment recommendations, overdose risk counseling, and naloxone prescription requirements.

Requires naloxone be offered to patients when opioid dosage is 90 morphine milligram equivalents or more per day, when prescribed concurrently with benzodiazepines, or when patient presents increased overdose risk.

Prohibits policies from limiting opioid prescriptions for patients with chronic pain, cancer, substance use disorder, sickle cell disease, hospice, palliative care, or end-of-life care.

Requires State Department of Public Health to report by July 1, 2024 on progress toward declining opioid prescriptions using CURES database data; practitioners failing to adopt a policy are referred to their licensing board for administrative sanctions.