Violating Free Speech in the War on Opioid Addiction: The Washington Legislature’s Voice in the Doctor’s Office

Abstract

This timely article deals with a constitutionally impermissible regulation adopted by the Washington legislature in reaction to the current opioid epidemic, which requires physicians to obtain a written agreement from their patients permitting their physician to notify the authorities (among others) if they believe their patient has engaged in "illegal behavior." The legislation is an affront to the free speech rights of physicians in the state, and ripe for challenge.

Keywords: Free Speech, Professional Speech, Medical, Medicine, Privacy, Physician Patient Relationship, Opioid, Heroin, Epidemic, First Amendment, Constitution, Washington, Civil Rights, Violation, Doctor, Patient, Privacy