Cabinet has approved legal changes to reverse the “astonishing” regulation blunder that accidentally loosened access restrictions to highly addictive opioid painkillers in the middle of a global overdose crisis. That’s despite opioid drugs contributing to 333 Kiwi overdose deaths from 2017-2021, according to the NZ Drug Foundation. In a submission calling for the regulation change to be reversed, then Pain Society president David Rice called the move “nothing short of astonishing”. As a result of the opposition, Cabinet on Monday approved legal changes to reverse the rule change blunder. George Frey/Reuters Opioid drugs contributed to 333 Kiwi overdose deaths from 2017-2021, according to the NZ Drug Foundation.
