Benzo bill urgent

[[Ms...]]

URGENT RSVP:

 

If you are attending the hearing on Tuesday please email garrett.burns@mahouse.gov as soon as you can. 

 

Thank you! 

[[Bi...]]

On February 24th, 2016 Bill H4062 – An Act relative to benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics was filed by Representative Paul McMurtry in the Massachusetts State House. The bill received 47 co-sponsors during the seven-day open period in which legislators can co-sponsor. This is an impressive and promising turnout.

 

The bill was assigned bill number H4062 and has been referred to the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Because the bill was unseasonably filed, it does not have to be heard by the Joint Committee before this legislative session ends, but there is still a chance it could be heard before the July 2016 deadline. The committee will hear testimonies from experts in the field about why this bill is so important to public health and safety. At that point, the committee will decide whether the bill should pass, “go to study”, or be denied.  If the bill “goes to study”, meaning that it will require more research before a decision is made, then the bill will be effectively “dead in the water” until next year.

 

The likely and hoped for outcome is that the Joint Committee will pass the bill, at which point it will go before the House and the Senate for debate until it ends up on the floor of the House and Senate for a final vote.

 

What are the Specifics of Bill H4062?

 

    Anyone receiving a benzodiazepine prescription will receive written informed consent from their doctor stating the risks of taking this class of drugs. The consent form will ensure that patient’s understand that benzodiazepines and sleep aids can lead to physical dependence, and in some cases, addiction. The informed consent form will also specify that this drug can, in some cases, cause an injury to the nervous system and dangerous and/or disabling withdrawal reaction. The consent form will also specify that long-term use is contraindicated.

    Benzodiazepine prescriptions will be written on brightly colored paper to ensure that patients know that they are receiving a potentially harmful substance that could lead to physiological dependence or addiction.

    No patient will be taken off benzodiazepines or sleep aids without their full consent. No patient will be “cold turkeyed” off their prescription. For patient’s choosing to come off,  a safe taper schedule will be implemented.

    Drug labels will indicate that long-term use is contraindicated.

 

 

Sounds good! 

Too many people who are taken to prison for non-violent crimes are being C/T'd from their benzodiazepines if the prescription label reads as use for sleep or calmness.  The prison system believes you have no right to sleep or calmness as they are not life threatening so these people are C/T'd  or given a ridiculous 2 week taper!

 

Think you can't go to prison? If you drive a car you can kill people if they jump out in front of you and if you drive on benzo's you could go to jail and be found as negligent for driving while on a benzo.  It happens to thousands of people like you and me every year!!!

 

YOU COULD BE THE NEXT PRISON INMATE FOR DRIVING

TO THE GROCERY STORE AND HAVING AN ACCIDENT!!!

 

It's potentially easy to kill people with your car. 4000 pounds moving down the road at 45 MPH is one hell of a weapon that can easily kill!  Cars kill 80,000X more people than guns do every year and YOU own a car and use it daily!

 

If your police blood test shows you had a benzodiazepine in your system YOU can be found to be potentially INTOXICATED, it's up to the jury and that's a 50/50 chance at best.

 

Great law! Too bad it's not federal.

 

[[Ms...]]

Hi, that's the old bill.