Speaker Vincent Prieto will be the lead Assembly sponsor of bipartisan legislation that employs a multi-faceted approach to tackle the continuing opioid crisis in New Jersey from every angle.
Working together with both Senate leadership and the executive branch, Prieto and co-sponsor, Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Jr., M.D., are fine-tuning legislation (A-3) that will employ a comprehensive approach to address the opioid epidemic, including stricter regulation of controlled dangerous substances, education on the dangers of abuse, comprehensive medical treatment for substance use disorder and greater insurance coverage for such treatment.
“While this legislation aims to prevent addiction to begin with, it also recognizes the realities that have taken hold, and substantially bolsters treatment options and health benefits for those that have succumbed to this epidemic,” said Prieto (D-Bergen/Hudson). “We are committed to working together with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in both houses and in all branches of government because this is an issue that has touched the lives of nearly every New Jerseyan either directly or indirectly.”
“As a practicing physician, I’ve seen the ravages of addiction firsthand,” said Conaway (D-Burlington). “There are few medical issues more pressing than the opioid crisis right now and we need to treat it as such from a medical standpoint in order to breakdown the stigma and get people the real, substantive treatment they need.”