New Jersey is confronting a staggering public health crisis brought about by prescription opioid abuse. On February 15, 2017, P.L. 2017, c. 28, was signed into law, imposing certain restrictions on how opioids and other Schedule II controlled dangerous substances may be prescribed. In response to the new law, the Attorney General and New Jersey's prescribing boards adopted new rules designed to reduce the risk of addiction and the accumulation of opioids in the household medicine cabinets across the State, which are very often diverted for illegal use. Information about those rules, as well as guidance for prescribers and patients on safer pain medication prescribing practices is available here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS For Advance Practice Nurses Licensed by the Board of Nursing. State law makes it unlawful for a prescriber to issue an initial prescription for acute pain for more than a five-day supply. In addition, the dosage authorized by initial prescriptions for acute pain is to be limited to the lowest effective dose of an immediate–release opioid drug. To better understand how to comply with this limitation and other rule changes, the Board offers the following guidance.