In response to providers’ recent challenges implementing new requirements for opioid prescriptions, the governor has signed into law a bill that allows a transition period before the requirements become effective.
Under a 2018 bill — Assembly Bill (AB) 1753 — controlled substance security prescription forms must include a new, unique serial number in a format approved by the Department of Justice. However, because that legislation did not allow for a transition period, its requirements took effect Jan. 1 — before the new forms were widely available. Yesterday, the governor signed AB 149 (Chapter 4, Statutes of 2019), which allows for a transition period until Jan. 1, 2021. The bill also allows the Department of Justice to extend this period to ensure adequate supply.