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COLUMBUS, Ohio — New rules take effect today putting limits on the amount of opiates doctors in Ohio can prescribe.

According to a release from Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s office, “Ohio’s health care regulatory boards will implement new limits on prescriptions issued for the treatment of acute pain.”

The rules are only intended to treat conditions resulting from acute pain that normally fade with healing following a surgical procedure or a bone fracture.

The governor’s office hopes the new rules will lead to a 109 million fewer doses of opiates getting into the hands of addicts each year. Prescription opiates are often the gateway to heroin use.

Highlights of Ohio’s new opiate prescribing limits for acute pain include:

No more than seven days of opiates can be prescribed for adults No more than five days of opiates can be prescribed for minors Health care providers can prescribe opiates in excess of the day supply limits only if they provide a specific reason in the

patient’s medical record. Unless such a reason is given, a health care provider is prohibited from prescribing opiates that

exceed Ohio’s limits Except for certain conditions specified in the rules, the total morphine equivalent dose (MED) of a prescription for acute pain

cannot exceed an average of 30 MED per day The new limits do not apply to opioids prescribed for cancer, palliative care, end-of-life/hospice care or medication-assisted

treatment for addiction.

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day

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