Florida Gov. Rick Scott signs bill limiting most opioid prescriptions

This morning, Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation limiting most painkiller and opioid prescriptions to a three-day supply in response to the opioid crisis that kills at least 16 Floridians every day, the Associated Press reports.

The law will use more than $53 million in grants for treatment programs, as well as provide updates for Florida’s prescription database to help track each patient’s medication history both statewide and nationally. New prescription limits enacted by the bill – doctors will now be able to prescribe up to seven days in cases of acute pain – go into effect on July 1.

The bill was a high-ranking priority for both Scott and the Legislature, whose session ended last week. The signing took place in Manatee County, which suffered the most deaths in Florida in 2016 from fentanyl analogs – synthetic versions of fentanyl designed mostly for veterinary use that can be 5,000 times more lethal than heroin.

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