Lawmakers unveil 25 bills to curb heroin use

ALBANY (AP) — New York schools could be equipped with an opioid antidote and patients taking certain pain medications would be limited to a 10-day supply under new legislation proposed Wednesday to fight the rise of heroin and bolster treatment of addicts.

The Senate’s Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction released 25 bills and a report targeting opioid abuse and overdoses, increasing addiction treatment and aiding law enforcement.

“A terrible opioid epidemic has gone statewide, from Buffalo to Montauk, New York City, rural communities, everywhere throughout the state,” said Sen. Phil Boyle, chairman of the task force.

Members of the majority coalition — made up of Republicans and a faction of five Democrats who control the Senate — introduced the measures after conducting 18 forums statewide.

Republican Sen. Kemp Hannon is sponsoring seven bills, including a proposal that would equip schools with naloxone, an effective antidote for opioid overdoses that can be inhaled or injected. The bill would cover whoever administers the drug under the “Good Samaritan” law, which protects people from potential arrest when they call for medical help from the scene of an overdose.