By Associated Press - Thursday, January 4, 2018

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina lawmakers have come up with proposals to combat the opioid epidemic in the state.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reported that a House committee on Wednesday completed a report with a long list of recommendations on how to deal with the health problem.

State officials say opioid abuse killed at least 616 South Carolina residents in 2016.

Lawmakers have introduced several new bills to deal with the problem.

One proposal would increase the number of addiction counselors at hospitals across the state. It would also allow for state oversight of addiction specialists be requiring them to be approved by the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Another would allow state officials to add medicines to the list of addictive drugs without getting the General Assembly’s approval.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com

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