CA AR105

Requests the Governor, California Health and Human Services Agency, State Department of Health Care Services, and Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to increase public and provider awareness of health risks associated with opioid abuse.

Directs the State Department of Health Care Services to increase awareness of nonopioid pharmacological therapies as alternatives for treating pain.

Encourages the health care community to educate themselves and patients about societal, fiscal, and health benefits of nonopioid pain treatments.

Encourages state agencies to collaborate and pursue opportunities to protect access to nonopioid alternatives for pain treatment in California.

Notes that in 2021, over 106,000 drug-involved overdose deaths occurred nationwide with 7,829 in California, and that CDC guidance confirms nonopioid therapies are at least as effective as opioids for many common pain types.