Governor Paul LePage signed into law “An Act to Prevent
Opiate Abuse by Strengthening the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring
Program” (now PL 2015, c. 488) on April 19, making Maine the second
state to pass legislation on the issue this year.
Beginning January 1, 2017, providers will not be allowed to
prescribe more than a seven-day supply of opioids within a seven-day period for
acute pain or a 30-day supply within a 30-day period for chronic pain.
Maine’s 100 morphine milligram equivalent (MME) cap for new
patients is slightly higher than the 90 MME called for under U.S. Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and lower than the 120 MME cap enacted by
Massachusetts and Washington. Patients currently receiving opioid pain
medication have a higher, 300 MME cap until July 2017 to ease their transition
to a lower dose.
For more information, see the press release at http://go.usa.gov/cuDHj
