Localmedium impact · 6/10substantive190863

Council sought to make doctors, dentists distribute educational materials on opioid prescriptions and treatment

Official:Amending Title 6 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Health Code,” to require the distribution of certain educational material related to opioid prescriptions and substance use disorder treatment, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Domb

Introduced: October 31, 2019

: Committee on Public Health and Human Services

opioidspublic healthsubstance abuse

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2016–2019 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill requires doctors and dentists to give patients educational materials about opioids and substance use disorder treatment when prescribing opioids or discharging them after a drug overdose.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Requires doctors and dentists to give patients educational materials about opioids and substance use disorder treatment when prescribing opioids, which must include information about non-opioid alternatives to control pain and the addictive properties of opioid medication.
Requires doctors and osteopaths to give patients educational materials about substance use disorder treatment options when discharging them after a drug overdose or symptoms of withdrawal, which must include descriptions and contact information for substance use disorder treatment providers.
Specifies that the educational materials must be prepared by the Department and adopted by regulation of the Board of Health. 4.