Washington, DC
PITTSFIELD ? U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, this week added his name to the list of supporters backing Gov. Charlie Baker’s efforts to combat opioid abuse in the state.
Neal, who joins several Massachusetts district attorneys and sheriffs in praising the Republican governor’s proposals, told reporters that he’s comfortable with the measures and believes Baker has “taken the correct initiative” in pushing them.
The governor’s bill would expand the civil commitment law , allowing doctors to involuntarily hospitalize individuals with drug addictions for 72 hours without a court order if they pose a danger to themselves or others. The measure would also limit new opioid prescriptions to a 72-hour supply.
Neal lauded efforts to cut down on opioid prescriptions, pointing to stories of various people who reportedly developed addictions after taking prescription painkillers following surgeries and other medical procedures.
The Springfield Democrat also praised Baker’s focus on changing the conversation regarding drug addictions.
“I think Gov. Baker is on to something when he talks about the terminology as to how we relate to the issue of drug addiction,” he told reporters. “And to stop referring necessarily to individuals as ‘drug addicts,’ which connotes somebody who automatically is living on the streets, when we can find plenty of people who are addicted, but who survive each day doing daily chores and responsibilities of life.”
The congressman added that he’s sympathetic to the governor’s position on allowing doctors to commit to treatment patients who pose a danger to themselves, saying he believes intervention is warranted in some instances.
“I think that as we understandably move in the direction of civil liberties as it relates to treatment, it’s always been beyond me how somebody on a below freezing night – perhaps some nights below zero…how they can suggest that they know that their rights allow them to sleep on the streets,” Neal said.
All of the state’s district attorneys have signed a letter in support of Baker’s bill, including Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, who this week said the legislative package addresses all sides of the opioid addiction issue.
Eight of Massachusetts’ 14 county sheriffs, meanwhile, have recently come out in support of the governor’s proposal.
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