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February 25, 2008 issue
Mental Health and Substance Abuse
BILL: SB 157 – Opioid Treatment Programs
AUTHOR: Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis
SPONSOR: Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary
ISMA POSITION: Support
THIS WEEK: No action has taken place on the bill since it was passed out of the House Public Health Committee on Feb. 11. The ISMA continues to work with interested parties to move the bill forward.
The amended bill would add to original language requirements for an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) a test for certain illicit drugs a patient may be abusing while receiving treatment.
The amendment also requires the OTP to administer a detoxification program for patients who test positively. Another amendment would require an OTP patient to ensure he/she will be picked up by another responsible individual after receiving treatment.
Several issues were debated within each of the above amendments, and the ISMA, while supportive of the intent of the amendments, will work to clarify them so patients are not deterred from seeking treatment.
The bill would require more stringent regulatory standards for OTPs in Indiana than those required at the federal level. The ISMA is supportive of this move due to a resolution adopted during the 2007 ISMA House of Delegates. Indiana has experienced large growth in both the number of OTPs and in the number of patients seeking treatment here, spurring calls for increased regulation.
The underlying bill, at the ISMA’s request, will require development of standards for OTPs regarding the tapering of patients on and off of an opioid treatment medication.
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