42 U.S.C. § 290bb–25g — Awareness campaigns

(a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and coordinating with other agency heads, must advance education and awareness about the risks of opioid misuse and abuse, as appropriate. This may include developing or improving programs, running activities, and awarding grants that educate: (1) the public, including patients and consumers — (A) generally, and (B) specifically about risks tied to unused opioids and the dispensing options under 21 U.S.C. § 829(f), as applicable; (2) providers, which may include (A) continuing education on proper prescribing practices, (B) education on state or local prescriber-limit laws, non-addictive pain management alternatives, and overdose reversal drugs, as appropriate, (C) sharing and improving the use of evidence-based opioid prescribing guidelines across health care settings, updating them as needed, (D) strategies such as best practices to encourage guideline use consistent with state and local law, (E) sharing information with providers about prescribing options for controlled substances, including those under 21 U.S.C. § 829(f), and (F) sharing information, as appropriate, on the National Pain Strategy; and (3) other appropriate entities. (b) Topics The campaigns must address: (1) the dangers of opioid misuse and abuse; (2) how to prevent it, including through non-addictive treatment options, safe disposal of prescription medications, and other safety precautions; and (3) how to detect early warning signs of addiction. (c) Other requirements As appropriate, the campaigns must: (1) account for any link between prescription opioid abuse and heroin use; (2) stress (A) the similarities between heroin and prescription opioids, and (B) their effects on the human body; and (3) raise public awareness of the dangerous effects of fentanyl when mixed with heroin or abused in a similar way.