Opioid compromise passes House, heads to Senate

BOSTON – A compromise measure to rein in the opioid abuse crisis passed unanimously in the state House of Representatives Wednesday and is expected to face a final vote in the Senate Thursday. The measure would put limits on first-time prescriptions of synthetic opiate painkillers like oxycodone and use additional screening of students and emergency room patients for signs of addiction as part of the effort to curb the substance abuse epidemic ravaging the state. But it falls short of key featu

BOSTON – A compromise measure to rein in the opioid abuse crisis passed unanimously in the state House of Representatives Wednesday and is expected to face a final vote in the Senate Thursday. The measure would put limits on first-time prescriptions of synthetic opiate painkillers like oxycodone and use additional screening of students and emergency room patients for signs of addiction as part of the effort to curb the substance abuse epidemic ravaging the state. But it falls short of key featu…