Legislation intended to combat a heroin epidemic has been introduced by a bipartisan group of legislators.
Longtime Rockford Police officer Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, says more than 40 people died last year from overdosing in Winnebago County
"The measures in this are going to be a little controversial to some folks,” Cabello said, “but when we realize that lives are more important ... if we are going to look at trying to solve the problem, we need to look at all of the solutions."
The legislation stems from a state task force which heard stories from coroners about people who died of heroin overdoses, from parents whose children were addicted to the drug, and from experts with recommendations about how to handle the problem.
The bill, sponsored by House Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang, D-Skokie, would appropriate $25 million for the Department of Human Services to provide opioid addiction services and preventative education, distribution of and programming for opioid antidotes, and administering the Prescription Monitoring Program.
Rep. John Anthony, R-Morris, also was a cop in Champaign and a sheriff's deputy in Kendall County before he became a state legislator.
"I will never forget the first time that I responded to an overdose call," he said. "I can't use the name because the person was a juvenile, but I'll never forget showing up to this place and seeing the color purple. That was the color of this individual. I didn't know what to do.
"There's no training," Anthony added. "We were never prepared to deal with those individuals who are overdosing."
Anthony also says he has a personal reason for wanting to curb heroin use; his mother was an addict.
The plan he backs generally would limit patients to getting 10 days' worth of prescriptions for opiods -- a type of painkiller that's often a gateway to heroin -- at a time. The idea is that less of the drug would be left over to enable someone's addiction -- or even for a child or visitor to pluck from a bottle in the medicine cabinet.
The bill’s requirements include:
- All Illinois pharmacies must have drug-disposal programs.
- Doctors must register the prescriptions they write, in an attempt to track and prevent drug shopping.
- First responders to carry with a drug to save someone who has overdosed on heroin.
The list goes on, but with a pricetag of about $25 million. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget cuts more than that from existing addiction treatment programs.
Advocates say their plan will save lives in the long run.