The California Department of Public Health reported almost 2000 opioid overdose deaths in California in 2016. These deaths, and increased addictions, need to be countered in the immediate and the long term. The national opioid crisis has been termed an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control. Its origins appear to be the massive increase in prescription of opioid pain-killers over the last decade, coupled with an increased availability of illegal opioids both domestically and from foreign sources. Here are steps that California needs to continue, and to develop, to respond to this epidemic.

1) The California Department of Public Health has contacted medical care providers in the state with a menu of available assistance for patients exhibiting increasing opioid dependence. This informational contact should be continued.

2) The Medical Board of California should be relied upon to provide the best practices for medical professionals who prescribe opioids. Their current guidance is almost three years old and should be updated. It is a delicate balance between pain management and avoiding risk of addiction, on which professional medical guidance is most helpful.

3) Naloxone is an immediately effective antidote to opioid overdose. California needs to make Naloxone available to all first responders in the state. This program is currently being administered by the California Department of Public Health and should be continued.

4) The state of Maine has had some success with a regulation setting a maximum dosage for opioids-per-patient on an annual basis. The Medical Board of California should be tasked with deciding whether to enforce such a limit in California.

5) The federal commitment to solving the opioid epidemic has focused on importation of opioids from other countries, especially China, Mexico, and Canada. California should assist with federal efforts to crack down on illegal drug imports.

6) The new federal budget will likely include increased funds for assisting state efforts to curb the epidemic and deal with its consequences. California’s Congressional representatives should ensure that California’s share of federal assistance is at least proportionate to our share of the national program.