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To stem the opioid epidemic, U.S. doctors cut prescriptions of medications such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet by at least a quarter over the last five years. But the reduction in prescriptions came at a cost to some pain patients. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration last month warned prescribers that abruptly cutting off high-dose patients or tapering their doses too rapidly could cause withdrawal and even suicide. (Vestal, 5/21)

A Middle Tennessee doctor who stands accused of drug dealing at a pill mill that once overflowed with patients has been ordered by a Nashville judge to stop practicing medicine altogether. Dr. Samson Orusa, who owns a clinic in Clarksville, is now forbidden from seeing patients, writing prescriptions or supervising any nurse practitioners or other medical professionals, according to a court order from Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle. (Kelman, 5/20)

That money — included in a bill passed with overwhelming support before the Legislature adjourned Monday night — will come from substantially higher licensing fees on companies in the prescription painkiller business. Some big manufacturers will have to pay $305,000 annually to operate in Minnesota. The fees are expected to generate $20 million each year, which will go into a dedicated fund that can be used solely for opioid-related response programs. (Bakst, 5/20)