New Maryland Bill Could Give Parents More Control Over Addicted Children
A Suboxone Clinic Baltimore News Update
For a person struggling with an addiction to opiates, going one more day without seeking treatment could be one too long. A recent death spike related to the synthetic opiate Fentanyl has one Randallstown, Maryland delegate fighting to change the rights for parents of addicted children.
Delegate Nic Kipke, the Maryland House minority leader has proposed a new bill to the legislation. The bill would give the parents of an addicted adult child the ability to act on behalf of their child.
In Maryland, heroin used to be the drug of choice, however, that has changed as fentanyl has overtaken it as the deadliest drug. Statewide the deaths related to fentanyl have surged from almost two-hundred in the first three quarters of 2015, to 1,173 fatalities within the same time frame of 2017, according to information from delmaravnow.com.
Another troubling drug that’s showed up on the scene is carfentanil, which is commonly used to sedate elephants. The drug is responsible for 57 deaths across the state in the first few months of 2017, as compared to zero in the previous two-year period, according to the state of Maryland health agency.
The proposed bill would let the parents or guardians of adult children, who must be listed as a covered dependent on the parent’s health insurance, to involuntarily have their child placed into an opiate addiction treatment center, some of which will accept state insurance Medicaid. When Kipke introduced and subsequently withdrew the same bill in the 2017 General Assembly session, it was given an unfavorable report by the Government Operations Committee.
The provisions in the bill include the person must not be a minor, must have experienced an overdose and must have health coverage as a dependent on their parent’s insurance plan. The goal of the bill is to give parents the control to make health care choices for their addicted child and to disrupt the cycle of their child’s addiction and to hopefully save their life.
Given the state of Maryland being in such as serious opiate crisis, it may be time to consider enacting this life-changing legislation. Parents would give their life for their child, but when that child is wrapped up in heroin addiction they are playing a life or death game that a parent can’t save them from.
If you live in Randallstown, MD and are struggling with opiate addiction and are not sure what to do, the best choice is to contact Suboxone Clinic Baltimore so you can get healthy and lead a drug-free life again.
