President Garcia’s Bill to Expand Opioid Treatment Signed into Law

May 14, 2019 

Pueblo CO - Senate President Leroy Garcia’s bipartisan opioid treatment bill, SB19-001, Expand Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) pilot program, was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis this morning at the Crossroads Treatment Clinic in Pueblo.“The opioid crisis has devastated families and communities across southern Colorado, and I am proud to be here today to expand a program we know can help people successfully overcome addiction and lead better lives,” said President Garcia.In Pueblo County, MAT services increased from 99 clients treated at both agencies in 2017 to 691 clients in 2018. Routt County, which had no services for MAT clients in 2017, provided MAT services to 60 clients in 2018. SB19-001 allocates $5 million in funding through marijuana tax dollars over two years to expand the program to 10 additional high-need counties.“Senate Bill 1 passed unanimously because this issue is bigger than politics,” added President Garcia. “Now that this bill is the law of the land, we can help those struggling get the treatment they need and work to end the opioid crisis in Colorado.”SB19-001 also shifts the responsibility to administer the MAT program from the college of nursing to the center for research into substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategiesFor more information on the legislation, please visit https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb19-001.