Too often government regulations seeking to solve a problem end up creating new ones. That is what has happened with an Arizona law that currently imposes harmful one-size-fits-all limits on the options of physicians treating pain patients.
The truth is that legitimate prescriptions to treat pain are not the major cause of the opioid epidemic. Nonetheless these treatments appear to be an easy target for legislators.
The result? It is increasingly difficult and sometimes impossible for pain patients to obtain appropriate care. Doctors are not only limited in available treatments, but often intimidated away from offering any care for these challenging conditions. In addition, patients unfortunately may resort to use of dangerous illicit drugs when safer options are blocked. Nothing could be more counterproductive when the goal is to stop the epidemic of overdoses, largely driven by illegal, unsafe street drugs.
On January 26, 2022 (9am in Senate Hearing Room 1), the Arizona State Senate Committee on Health and Human Services is holding a hearing that includes SB 1162, a good bill, sponsored by Sen. Nancy Barto, to make a few commonsense changes to increase flexibility for pain patients and the physicians caring for them.
Please ask members of the committee to vote YES on SB 1162!
CLICK HERE – https://p2a.co/iTzxDuH – to easily get your message on the way to committee members with just a couple clicks.
Other ways you can help:
1) If you have an RTS account at azleg.gov, please “sign in” in support of SB 1162.
2) If you are a physician or patient with practical experience on this topic, please consider testifying at the hearing. If you are interested in providing in-person testimony please respond to this email and we will provide additional information to you on that process.
Thank you for speaking out! Your voice makes a difference.
~AAPS
