SB19-228 Summary

• Requires physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice nurses to complete up to 4 credit hours of opioid prescribing training per licensing cycle, covering best practices, substance use disorder recognition, patient referral, and prescription drug monitoring program use.

• Prohibits physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice nurses from accepting direct or indirect benefits from pharmaceutical manufacturers or representatives for prescribing specific medications.

• Requires opioid prescription labels to include warnings about overdose and addiction risks, except for opioids used to treat substance use disorders or partial opioid antagonists.

• Grants medical examiners and coroners access to the prescription drug monitoring program for individuals who are subjects of autopsies under unusual, suspicious, or unnatural circumstances.

• Appropriates $4.3 million from the marijuana tax cash fund for fiscal year 2019-20 to fund substance use prevention and treatment initiatives, including a maternal and child health pilot program, opioid prevention grants, and public health interventions in local communities.