Following backlash from patients with chronic pain and people in the disability community, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday found herself backpedaling on her recently introduced legislation to put a time limit on opioid prescriptions. The 2020 presidential contender sought to help “end the opioid epidemic” with legislation she introduced with Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) to limit opioid prescriptions for acute pain to seven days. But many in the disabled community, as well as chronic pain patients, said they feel such legislation could make it harder for people with chronic pain to get the treatment they need. “The distinction between chronic pain and acute pain isn’t nearly as neat and tidy as the Gillibrand and Gardner press release indicates,” Matthew Cortland, a disabled, chronically ill disability rights lawyer, told HuffPost. “To the patients and disability advocates who have raised concerns: Thank you for sharing your stories.

Source: Huffington Post March 21, 2019 02:37 UTC