An executive order, signed by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, will place a seven-day limit on opioid prescriptions for state employees and those in the state's Medicaid program, according to a Cronkite News report.
The order prevents state employees and Medicaid beneficiaries from filling more than seven days' worth of opioid prescriptions. The limit extends to opioid prescriptions for children, but excludes children suffering from cancer, chronic disease and traumatic injury.
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The limit affects around 1.9 million individuals and families who work for the state or are enrolled in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the Medicaid program.
According to the executive order, 401 people in Arizona died from prescription opioid overdoses in 2015 and there has been a 300 percent increase in opioid prescription sales in the nation over the last 15 years.
"This is a preventive step and one we hope employers and (private) insurance providers will follow our lead to address the scourge of addiction on the front end," said Gov. Ducey at an event to kickoff a substance abuse awareness campaign, according to report.
The Phoenix Police Department is also piloting a new program that will allow addicts to turn in their drugs to the police and ask for treatment without being prosecuted.