New Bills To Require Doctors To Educate Patients On Dangers Of Opioid Use

LANSING (WWJ) - A new set of bills to combat Michigan's opioid epidemic is on way to the Lt. Governor's desk Wednesday for his signature.

The bills will require doctors to provide information about the dangers of opioids to their patients and make sure they acknowledge that they understand.

Prescriptions can only be given by doctors who have established a bona fide doctor-patient relationship.

Judge Linda Davis who's started Families Against Narcotics says she pleased with the legislation but knows there is more work to be done.

"Everytime we fix one part of this puzzle we find 10 more pieces that are missing.

"Make no mistake, we are far from having this resolved," says Davis. "We still are seeing doubling of numbers of death tolls of people that are dying."

Davis says the epidemic has caused an epidemic of grandparents forced to raise their grandchildren.