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H2212 • 2025

An Act relative to patient opioid notification

An Act relative to patient opioid notification

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Steven S. Howitt
Last action
2026-03-30
Official status
Accompanied a study order, see H5319 (under House Rule 27)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act relative to patient opioid notification

An Act relative to patient opioid notification By Representative Howitt of Seekonk, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act relative to patient opioid notification By Representative Howitt of Seekonk, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 2212) of Steven S.
  • Howitt relative to the issuing of the initial prescription of Schedule II controlled dangerous substances or other opioid pain relievers.
  • Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-30 House

    Accompanied a study order, see H5319 (under House Rule 27)

  2. 2025-10-24 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 11/03/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2

  3. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery

  4. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

  5. House

    Reported by committee to Clerk’s Office for processing, will accompany a study order

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to patient opioid notification
By Representative Howitt of Seekonk, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2212) of Steven S. Howitt relative to the issuing of the initial prescription of Schedule II controlled dangerous substances or other opioid pain relievers. Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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Bill H.2212

Section 18C of Chapter 94C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking the section in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following new section:-

Prior to issuing the initial prescription of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance or any other opioid pain reliever which is a prescription drug in a course of treatment for acute or chronic pain and again prior to issuing the third prescription of the course of treatment, a practitioner shall discuss with the patient, or the patient’s parent or guardian if the patient is under 18 years of age and is not an emancipated minor, the risks associated with the drugs being prescribed, including but not limited to: (1) the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid drugs and the dangers of taking opioid drugs with alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other central nervous system depressants; (2) the reasons why the prescription is necessary; (3) alternative treatments that may be available; and (4) risks associated with the use of the drugs being prescribed, that there is a risk of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the controlled dangerous substance, and that the risks of taking more opioids than prescribed, or making sedatives, benzodiazepines or alcohol with opioids, can result in fatal respiratory depression. The practitioner shall include a note in the patient’s medical record that the patient or the patient’s parent or guardian, as applicable, has discussed with the practitioner the risks of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the control dangerous substance and alternative treatments that may be available.

This section shall not apply to a prescription for a patient who is currently in active treatment for cancer, receiving hospice care from a licensed hospice or palliative care, or is a resident of a long term care facility, or to any medications that are being prescribed for use in the treatment of substance abuse or opioid dependence.

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