Emotional Bill Signing Ceremony Begins Effort to Curb Opioid Addiction

Governor Tim Walz, joined by lawmakers and advocates, held an emotional ceremonial bill signing at the Capitol Monday, July 1, to mark the commencement of the opioid stewardship law. The new law raises additional funds to combat the opioid epidemic through licensing fees on opioid manufacturers.

The new law seeks to curb opioid addiction through a comprehensive response that includes imposing limits on the length of opioid prescriptions, funding increased addiction treatment services, helping finance drugs that reverse overdoses, offering financial support to counties with high child protection and out-of-home-placement costs due to children whose caregivers are in the throes of addiction, and providing traditional healing and other innovations for communities historically suffering from addiction.

Senator Julie Rosen, R-Vernon Center, lead the effort to pass the legislation in the Senate. In a statement, she said, “This bill is a good start but there is still more work to do. We must continue to support law enforcement as they work to identify and curb illicit drug distribution and use. The medical professional and pharmaceuticals need to stay at the table to monitor the effects of these laws to stop opioid addiction. We have a moral imperative to deliver results and stem the devastation of opioid abuse and addiction for Minnesotans.”

Early proponents of the new law were Senator Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Center, and Representative Dave Baker, R-Willmar, who both lost children to an opioid overdose. Senator Eaton said she’d been working on this legislation for over three years, and in remembering her daughter who died in 2007 remarked, “I know that she’s here and that she’s very proud of the work we’re doing.”