Bill Text: NJ S696 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires hospital urine drug screenings to include test for fentanyl.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S696 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-S696-Introduced.html

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SENATE, No. 696

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  ROBERT W. SINGER

District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Steinhardt

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires hospital urine drug screenings to include test for fentanyl.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  

An Act concerning hospital urine drug screenings and supplementing P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.).

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  As used in this section, "urine drug screening" means a chemical analysis intended to test a patient for the presence of multiple drugs, including, but not limited to, cocaine, opioids, and phencyclidine.

     b.    A general acute care hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136, (C.26:2H-1 et al.) that conducts a urine drug screening to assist in diagnosing a patient's condition shall include, in the urine drug screening, a test for the presence of fentanyl.

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire on January 1, 2028.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill requires that, whenever a general acute care hospital conducts a urine drug screening to assist in diagnosing a patient's condition, the urine drug screening is to include a test for the presence of fentanyl. 

     Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid that, even in very small amounts, can result in overdose and death.  Fentanyl use has significantly increased during the opioid epidemic, in part because, with growing frequency, fentanyl is used to cut other drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.  This practice has resulted in increasing overdose deaths, even among people who do not ordinarily use opioid drugs. 

     Currently, urine drug screenings typically include tests for cocaine, certain opioids, and phencyclidine, but not fentanyl.  It is the sponsor's belief that mandatory testing for the presence of fentanyl can help prevent overdose deaths by ensuring that patients who have ingested fentanyl, either intentionally or unintentionally, receive proper treatment for a fentanyl overdose.

     This bill will take effect immediately and expire on January 1, 2028.