South Carolina Enacts New Laws to Fight Opioid Abuse

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster conducted a ceremonial signing May 9 on nine opioid related bills in an effort to address the ongoing health crisis in the state.

The signing came at an addiction treatment and rehabilitation center in Greenville.

McMaster declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency last year and signed two executive orders that required health officials to place a 5-day limit on initial opioid prescriptions for acute and post-operative pain management and created a taskforce of law enforcement and state agency officials who will develop a state plan to combat the issue.

A spokesman for the State Law Enforcement Division said last month the plan was undergoing internal review and edits.

The Republican governor sought his party’s nomination during the June 12 primaries.