Assemblymember Brindisi Announces Controlled Substances Provision of I-STOP Law Takes Effect February 23

February 23, 2013

Assemblymember Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) announced that a portion of the I-STOP law he sponsored to crack down on the misuse of prescription medications will go into effect on February 23. The provision requires drugs containing hydrocodone (commonly referred to as Vicodin) be moved from a Schedule III to a Schedule II drug. This shift limits an initial prescription for the painkiller to 30 days and also eliminates the current automatic refill status for first-time patients (Ch. 447 of 2012).

“Prescription drug misuse and abuse has the potential to tear communities and families apart in dangerous, tragic ways,” Assemblymember Brindisi said. “Taking action and supporting provisions like this one is simply the right thing to do if it means we can ensure our neighborhood streets are safer.”

The Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing Act – or I-STOP – was signed into law in 2012. The law’s other main provision – the nation’s first-ever real-time prescription drug database – will begin implementing statewide in August.

Taking action to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs is a necessity in order to increase the safety and well-being of Mohawk Valley families. According to data from the Upstate New York Poison Control Center, the statewide incidences of hydrocodone abuse have drastically increased: 363 reports of abuse in 2008 and 703 in 2012.1 Overall, in 2011, the center reported over 12,800 cases of prescription drug abuse.

The state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services offers patients the opportunity to speak with trained clinicians about the misuse of prescription drugs. These professionals can also refer patients to treatment services. Anyone interested in utilizing these services can anonymously call the 24-hour hotline at 877-8-HOPENY, Brindisi added.

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