A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT further limiting the amount of opioids that may be prescribed for the initial consultation and treatment of a patient for acute pain.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 90‑106(a3) reads as rewritten:
"(a3)	Limitation on Prescriptions Upon Initial Consultation for Acute Pain. – A practitioner shall not prescribe more than a three‑day supply of any targeted controlled substance upon the initial consultation and treatment of a patient for acute pain, unless the prescription is for post‑operative acute pain relief for use immediately following a surgical procedure. A practitioner shall not prescribe more than a seven‑day supply of any targeted controlled substance for post‑operative acute pain relief immediately following a surgical procedure. Upon any subsequent consultation for the same pain, the practitioner may issue any appropriate renewal, refill, or new prescription for a targeted controlled substance. This subsection does not apply to prescriptions for controlled substances issued by a practitioner who orders a controlled substance to be wholly administered in a hospital, nursing home licensed under Chapter 131E of the General Statutes, hospice facility, or residential care facility, as defined in G.S. 14‑32.2(i). This subsection does not apply to prescriptions for controlled substances issued by a practitioner who orders a controlled substance to be wholly administered in an emergency facility, veterinary hospital, or animal hospital, as defined in G.S. 90‑181.1. A practitioner who acts in accordance with the limitation on prescriptions as set forth in this subsection is immune from any civil liability or disciplinary action from the practitioner's occupational licensing agency for acting in accordance with this subsection."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2021.