Moeller’s prescription drug bill passes House

Olympia — The state House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill prime-sponsored by Rep. Jim Moeller that aims to tighten state rules on the prescribing of pain medication.

House Bill 2876 would require health care boards and commissions to adopt rules regarding pain management, including the prescribing of opioids.

Under current Washington law, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, as well as doctors, are allowed to prescribe pain medication.

Moeller, D-Vancouver, who has worked as an addiction counselor for more than 25 years, said the unregulated prescribing of pain medication has become “clearly a public health emergency” in Western Washington and Oregon, including Vancouver.

“There simply aren’t enough medical professionals who have pain management training to serve the public,” he said in a statement. “We should re-emphasize high-quality, up-to-date care for these folks — and a big part of that re-emphasis is placing the focus on appropriate patient care.”

The bill goes now to the Senate.