Letter: Doctors’ orders from General Assembly
As a board certified orthopaedic surgeon with almost 20 years in practice in South Carolina, in order to renew my license as a practicing physician in South Carolina in 2017 the South Carolina General Assembly now requires me to complete a continuing medical education course on prescribing narcotic pain medication.
This course work will educate me on such topics as:
▪ The scope of the current opioid overdose epidemic.
▪ Physical dependence on opioid addiction.
▪ Risk factors for overdose and addiction.
After the General Assembly legalizes medical marijuana in our state, I look forward to further mandates from my legislators to educate me on the risks of marijuana addiction and treatment.
Dr. Joseph P. Tobin
Hilton Head Island
This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Letter: Doctors’ orders from General Assembly."