Albany, NY - Members of the New York State Senate's task force on heroin and opioid addiction applauded the actions of United States Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ) on the introduction of legislation that would limit initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain to seven days.  This legislation, which was passed and signed into law in New York State in 2016, derived from the Senate's task force hearings over the course of the previous two years.

New York State Senators George Amedore, Terrence Murphy, Rob Ortt and Fred Akshar made the following comments:

"We applaud the bipartisan actions of Senator Gillibrand and Senator McCain. The New York State Senate has been, and remains, leading the effort to curb the devastating scourge the heroin epidemic has caused in nearly every community within the Empire State. The seven day limit of opioid prescriptions for acute pain was a cornerstone piece of legislation passed into law last year."

"We offer our strong support and partnership to help advance this important initiative on the federal level.  When it comes to helping our most vulnerable neighbors who are battling the disease of addiction, we cannot allow partisan politics to prevent the passage of common sense policy that will ultimately save lives."