Opioid Misuse Prevention

Opioid and other substance use disorders study committee - creation - Colorado consortium for prescription drug abuse prevention recommendations - school-based health care centers grant program - department of health care policy and financing grant awards - center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery continuing education activities - appropriations. The act establishes in statute the opioid and other substance use disorders study committee, consisting of 10 members of the general assembly, to:

• Study data, data analytics, and statistics on the scope of the substance use disorder problem in Colorado;
• Study current prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery resources available to Coloradans, as well as public and private insurance coverage and other sources of support for treatment and recovery resources;
• Review the availability of medication-assisted treatment and the ability of pharmacists to prescribe those medications;
• Examine measures that the federal government and other states and countries use to address substance use disorders;
• Identify the gaps in prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery resources available to Coloradans and hurdles to accessing those resources;
• Identify possible legislative options to address gaps and hurdles to accessing prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery resources; and
• Examine law enforcement and criminal justice measures and technologies used in enforcing laws regarding opioids and other illegal substances.

The committee is authorized to meet 6 times each interim and may report up to 5 legislative measures to the legislative council, which bills are exempt from bill limitations and deadlines. The committee is repealed on July 1, 2020.

The act requires the governor to direct the Colorado consortium for prescription drug abuse prevention to:

• Create a process to develop a plan that addresses the full continuum of recovery services;
• Develop a definition for recovery residences and recommend whether the residences should be licensed; and
• Report recommendations to the general assembly by January 1, 2020.

The act specifies that school-based health care centers may apply for grants from the school-based health center grant program to expand behavioral health services to include treatment for opioid and other substance use disorders and requires the department of public health and environment to prioritize funding to the centers that serve communities with high-risk factors for substance abuse and limited access to treatment services.

The act directs the department of health care policy and financing, starting July 1, 2018, to award grants to organizations to operate a substance abuse screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment practice.

The act directs the center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery to develop and implement continuing medical education activities to help prescribers of pain medication to safely and effectively manage patients with chronic pain, and when appropriate, prescribe opioids or medication-assisted treatment.

For the 2018-19 fiscal year, the act appropriates:

• $925,00 to the department of health care policy and financing from the marijuana tax cash fund for the screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment training grant program;
• $750,000 to the department of higher education from the marijuana tax cash fund for the center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategies;
• $39,249 to the legislative department from the general fund for expenses of the opioid and other substance use disorders study committee; and
• $775,000 to the department of public health and environment from the marijuana tax cash fund for use by the prevention services division for the school-based health center grant program.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)