In an attempt to address the nationwide drug overdose epidemic, the National Governors Association plans to create treatment protocols to limit the use of opioid painkillers, according to The New York Times.
The association will meet with President Obama Feb. 22 to discuss the guidelines, which will likely include restrictions on prescriptions.
Leading the effort is Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R). Gov. Shumlin claimed opioids "are passed out like candy in America." Gov. Bevin agreed, citing economic issues as the root cause of the issue and saying the solution must include "the people who develop, sell, profit from and approve these drugs," according to the report.
The members of the National Governors Association believed they were not receiving enough assistance from physicians or drug companies, but the American Medical Association said physicians were eager to assist governors with the issue. However, Patrice Harris, MD, chairwoman-elect of the AMA, said the AMA "wants to make sure that prescribing decisions — the decision to prescribe or not to prescribe — stay in the hands of physicians."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that opioids were the main cause of the more than 47,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2014.
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