Akshar’s Opioid and E-Cigarette Bills Pass the Senate
The New York State Legislature is counting down to the end of this session but appears to have no plans to address serious ethics reform. Lawmakers do hope to reach agreement before the end of the week on the language of a constitutional amendment to strip the pensions of elected officials convicted of corruption. Meanwhile, two bills authored by Republican New York State Senator Fred Akshar II of Colesville that deal with opioids as well as children and smokeless cigarettes are moving ahead in Albany. One bill would require medical practitioners to get written permission from a minor’s parent or guardian before prescribing drugs like pain killers. The second bill would prohibit distribution of electronic cigarettes to minors. Akshar says current state public health law does not specifically include electronic cigarettes to minors without charge while it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18. Both bills have been passed in the Senate and have moved on to the Assembly. The Legislature is expected to close this session on Thursday, June 16.