Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:- Section 238. Prior to issuing a prescription of an opioid which is a controlled substance as set forth in section 31 of chapter 94C, a practitioner shall discuss with the patient, or the patient's parent or guardian if the patient is under 18 years of age and is not an emancipated minor, the risks for unintentional opioid overdose associated with the medication, including but not limited to: (i) taking more opioids than prescribed; (ii) the dangers of mixing opioids with alcohol, benzodiazepines such as Klonopin, Valium, and Xanax, other central nervous system depressants, and other forms of poly-drug use; (iii) alternative treatments that may be available. The physician will also discuss the risk of opioid dependence as a result of prescription use.

To avoid unintentional fatal overdose, the practitioner shall reconcile all patient medications prior to prescribing opioids. The practitioner will require the patient to sign an acknowledgement that the patient, or the patient's parent or guardian, as applicable, has (i) discussed with the practitioner the risks of developing a physical or psychological dependence on opioids, and (ii) understands the ways in which their alcohol use or other prescriptions may increase the risk for fatal opioid overdose.