Bill would require opioid warning at pharmacies in Nassau

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OxyContin tablets (DEA)

If you fill a prescription for oxycodone or any other opioid, a Long Island legislator wants you to see a specific notice posted in pharmacies throughout Nassau County.  

"While you're waiting on line to pick up your prescription I'm hoping some parents will just take a glance and say 'Oh boy,' which is what I wish I did, 'Maybe I should hold onto these and after a day or two switch over to Tylenol,'" Leg. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said. 

Records show nearly 500 people died from opioid overdoses on Long Island in 2016 alone.

The proposed Pharmacy Opioid Notice Law aims to address the drug epidemic by reminding patients and parents of patients at the pharmacy counter about the addictive dangers of opioids.

RoseMarie Sherry's son is a recovering addict who started popping pills after shoulder surgery. 

"Maybe it'll stop someone long enough if they read that bigger warning and maybe talk about it more openly with their child," she said. 

Steve Chassman of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence said that if drug companies don't make patients aware of the addictive properties then it is up to government and law enforcement to educate the public. 

"Where we haven't seen the public service announcements come from the pharmaceutical companies themselves," he said. "The fact where pharmaceuticals get distributed is a really good place to let customers, individuals, families, and the public at large know that there [are] addictive properties that come with opioids and opiates."

The bill was filed Monday morning. Officials hope it will be voted on at the next legislative meeting in September.