On June 23rd, Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders announced that an agreement had been reached on a series of bills aimed to combat the ongoing heroin and opioid epidemic in New York State. In total twelve bills were signed into law that will expand access to treatment and services for substance use disorders, provide enhanced penalties for the unauthorized distribution of controlled substances by practitioners and pharmacists, and increase public education programs on the services available to those suffering from substance use disorders. Additionally, a separate provision was codified to expand access to Naloxone, an opioid antagonist used to counteract the effects of an opioid overdose. Click the link to find a summary of the various legislative changes.