Gov. Bruce Rauner signs 2 anti-opioid laws into Illinois law

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A new Illinois law will let drug court participants use medication to combat opioid addiction.

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the measure late last week. It goes into effect Jan. 1. Under the new law, judges are prevented from barring drug court participants from using medications that doctors prescribe to treat opioid addictions.

The Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy says some drug courts have required participants to not use medications to complete the program.

Rauner also has signed a measure that requires substance abuse programs that the state licenses to provide education information about medication-based treatments and the use of anti-overdose drugs.

The Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers reports (http://bit.ly/2a9fD43) the laws were designed to fill gaps in a major anti-opioid law passed last year in Illinois.