Limited opioid prescriptions, greater funding for addiction treatment and more support for people trying to stay clean: those are some of the proposals for attacking New York's heroin and opioid problem released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Thursday.
The 25 recommendations come from a task force convened by Cuomo to find ways to address the rise in addiction and overdoses. Lawmakers and the governor hope to pass a comprehensive approach to the problem before the Legislature adjourns for the year next week.
A report issued Thursday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that overdose deaths related to heroin and prescription drug abuse reached record highs in 2014, the most recent year the data was available.
Deputy State Comptroller Bob Ward tells WXXI News Monroe County’s rates of death from those substance was among the top five counties in the state.
“Monroe County, unfortunately, with prescription opioids, for example, had a death rate of 8.2 per 100,000 people. That compared to a statewide average of 4.9, so quite significantly higher than the statewide average.”
The NYS Legislature included $166 million for programs to fight heroin and opioid addiction in the recently passed state budget.
