Halloween and Daylight Saving Time means the city election is right around the corner. There are a lot of candidates running, and this election is a great opportunity for the residents of Westfield to be more involved with making a positive impact on their city. Now’s your chance to get to know the candidates and the issues and be an informed voter this Tuesday.
I want to get right into the topics of the week. One item that I have been continuing to update you on is the Opioid Epidemic in Massachusetts. There is a report that was released last week that says opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts are up 6% from last year at this time. That’s 684 opioid overdoses in the first half of 2015. Two weeks ago, the Governor filed legislation to address one aspect of the opioid epidemic. The proposed bill would allow hospitals and doctors to hold people with substance abuse problems against their will for three days if they are an immediate threat to themselves or others, something that can only be done now by a court order. The bill would also prevent doctors from prescribing new patients more than three days’ worth of an opioid.
It is clear that Massachusetts has a problem that isn’t going away until we take action. But we need to be wary of legislation that would tell doctors what to prescribe and for how long. There are individuals that suffer intense and chronic pain who do benefit from their prescriptions, and this bill would negatively impact them. The answer would be some sort of a compromise, where if we do keep a 72 hour restriction on prescribing opioids to new patients, we need to ensure that there are exceptions for individuals with legitimate need for this prescription.
What raises even more red flags about this bill is the provision that would allow doctors and hospitals to hold individuals against their will without a court order from a judge. Right now, a judge has to sign off on any type of involuntary commitment other than for mental health problems. This is a cause for caution. The legislature obviously wants to save lives, but it is our duty to make sure that the rights of the individual are not trumped, and this bill seems to waver on a very narrow line between saving lives and protecting civil liberties.
Like any bill, the devil is in the details. But unlike most other issues bills try to address, this issue is killing people – thousands of people. We have record breaking opioid overdoses this year, and people across all walks of life are being affected. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this drug doesn’t discriminate. Young men and women with a world of potential are falling victim to this epidemic. And a good amount of the time, the addiction began with a trip to the doctors that landed them with a bottle of pills. There are thousands of accounts of a child with a sports injury or an adult injured at work slowly developing an addiction due to the medication given to treat that injury. Often, there was an excessive amount of medication given. The addiction may start with a prescription, but the solution has to come from all of us in the Commonwealth. I will be sure to keep you updated on this legislation and on the topic as it progresses.
The Judiciary Committee met in Boston last week to discuss animal legislation, including a bill that would create an animal abuse registry for individuals convicted of animal abuse. Only one other state has such a registry. Other bills heard were related to training of service dogs, as well as ivory trade. I received dozens of emails on these topics, and I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. It’s important that your elected officials hear from you about your concerns, and I very much appreciate and welcome your phone calls and emails.
This past week, the Public Health committee of which I am a member met for a hearing on just one bill: the right to aid in dying. The testimony was very emotional and it was unlike many other hearings that take place. The entire hearing was on the one bill, so the discussion remained on that one topic throughout the four plus hours the committee met. I have many reservations about this legislation, but most importantly, the proposed legislation was already a ballot initiative in the state of Massachusetts. The voters have spoken on this topic.
I wrapped up this week with the ceremonial grand opening of Phase 3 of the Rail trail. The bike path now extends to Main Street, with an off ramp allowing bike path users access to our downtown. There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that when people using the bike path get into town, they have plenty to do.
The week ahead is quite busy, with hearings and formal session, but it is work that I love to do. I am grateful to the residents of the city of Westfield for allowing me to represent you on Beacon Hill. Please feel free to contact me with your questions, issues, and concerns at [email protected] or by stopping by my office at 52 Court Street in Westfield.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
