Please help Stop New Mexico’s SB 159 bill. Write to the Senators by 2/10/12
February 8, 2012 at 2:00pm
2/17/12- update – Thank you everyone who wrote letters for this! New Mexico’s SB 159 was tabled in committee so it looks like the advocacy support was effective! As I understand it a letter that was sent in from a patient advocate was read aloud at the hearing and was very moving and SB 215 passed on the floor -that is the bill for the Pain Management Advisory Council
2/9/12- update – Senator Sanchez pulled the bill from committee today for input and a revision of the language. A new bill is expected shortly; will likely make it to the Labor and HR committee later this week and the next committee this weekend. Please right your letter showing you dont support this bill!!!!!!
2/8/12- UpdateNew Mexico’s SB 159 bill is harmful to pain patients getting relief from opioids, check it out for yourself, read the NM SB 159 Bill. New Mexico’s SB 159, was introduced by Senator Bernadette Sanchez. If passed, this bill would mandate a series of new procedures and restrictions related to the prescribing of opioid medications for the treatment of pain.
Please help Stop New Mexico’s SB 159 bill. You can do this by emailing or calling. We need to get this bill postponed until next year to give all interested parties (those representing concerns about opioid abuse and those representing under treatment of pain), the time to come together to develop a consensus about what policy changes will protect people affected by pain while helping those abusing opioids.
We cannot let them create more barriers for people with pain in New Mexico. Like the rest of the country’s people in pain, they already face undertreated/inappropriate pain care. This bill, as it is currently written, is going to create new challenges that are harmful to pain patients. Patients will have to expect time delays as well as a financial increase in their already burdened situations. These changes will affect prescribers’ practices and in pharmacies in a negative way by confusing them. Prescribers will avoid prescribing opioids, which would be the fastest, easiest, and least costly way to comply with these restrictions. The 2011 Institute of Medicine estimates 116 million adult Americans have chronic pain and only 1.64% meets diagnostic criteria for a prescription opioid addiction. This will clearly affect the pain patients who are not abusing medications. We should not punish the masses that are following the rules and doing what is asked of them, for a minority of abusers.
Senate Judiciary Committee
Senator Richard C. Martinez, Chair, rcmartinez@email.com, 505-986-4487
Senator Peter Wirth, Vice Chair, peter.wirth@nmlegis.gov
Senator William H. Payne, Ranking Member, william.payne@nmlegis.gov, 505-986-4703
Senator Eric G. Griego, eric.griego@nmlegis.gov, 505-986-4862
Senator Clinton D. Harden, charden@theosogroup.com, 505-986-4369
Senator Linda M. Lopez, linda.lopez@nmlegis.gov, 505-986-4737
Senator Cisco McSorley, cisco.mcsorley@nmlegis.gov, 505-986-4389
Senator Sander Rue, sanderrue@comcast.net, 505-986-4375
Senator John C. Ryan, johnchrisryan@yahoo.com, 505-986-4373
Senator Michael S. Sanchez, senatormssanchez@aol.com, 505- 986-4727
Senator Lisa K. Curtis, lisa@curtislawfirm.org
For more information:
Read the bill: http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/12%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0159PAS.pdf
Please also read the State Pain Policy Action Coalition (SPPAC) analysis by the American Academy of Pain Management. Their summary is “We hope this bill analysis illustrates how complicated these issues are, and how important it is to involve all stakeholders in designing solutions to address them. Input from experts in substance abuse treatment, overdose prevention, and pain management all must be considered in order to arrive at policies that present the greatest opportunity for benefit and the least opportunity for unintended consequences that harm people. The issues this bill seeks to address are very real and very important, and we are committed to helping find solutions for them. We also know that the kinds of changes likely to result from this specific legislation will disproportionately affect people with pain, and we are committed to not allowing that to happen. More time is required to do this than is available in the current legislative session.”
