A federal bill aims to prevent youth athletes from using opioid pain medication in hopes that it will prevent addiction or death.

In light of the growing national heroin and opioid epidemic, the bill, introduced by Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wisconsin, would educate youth athletes about pain medication and curb their opioid pain medication use. The bill has bipartisan support with two Republican and two Democrat cosponsors, including Kind.

One of the bill’s cosponsors, Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pennsylvania, said in a statement many students, parents and coaches do not understand the dangers associated with opioid medications. Many youth athletes are prescribed them for injuries on the field, but in many cases they are too extreme and can lead to addiction, he said.

The bill, also known as the John Thomas Decker Act, was named after a Cornell University lacrosse player, who died of an accidental drug overdose after being prescribed painkillers for a knee injury. The prescription led to addiction and even a criminal record, Meehan said.

“Opioids are not aspirin,” Meehan said. “Too many kids and student athletes in particular succumb to a heroin habit that started with a prescription from a doctor. We must educate parents and students about this danger.”

Giving up the game: Student athletes face internal challenges when they leave the field

Meehan said the bill would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research available opportunities and resources that educate people about the problems associated with opioid use and abuse. It also would have to research what kinds of non-opioid treatments are available.

CDC would have to publicly release its findings and work with young athletes and families to educate them about the resources available to them, Meehan said. The purpose is to educate athletes about the dangers of heroin and opioid abuse and urge them to take alternative treatments, he said.

According to a statement, a 2015 Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation survey found that almost 60 percent of college-aged youth believe prescription pain medication is safer than heroin. The survey said University of Michigan research found that adolescent sport-playing males are twice as likely to be prescribed pain medication and four times more likely to abuse them than others.

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation pointed to a seven-point action plan for college campuses, communities and policymakers to tackle opioid use and abuse. These included education, prescription regulations, naloxone availability, student health centers, sober housing and campus student recovery committees.

A safe place: Legislation pushes sober housing development in Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin political science professor Donald Downs said legislation like this should not force youth athletes into treatment programs. He said the bill could be helpful if it looks to educate people about the dangers of opioid use.

How a federal bill will help combat Wisconsin’s opioid epidemic

Downs said it is important to identify if the problem of youth athletes abusing opioids is serious enough in Wisconsin for a bill to be effective here. Local research into this is necessary.

“A lot of legislation like this one can be too regulatory,” Downs said. “It would be better to teach them about the dangers because that could be more effective.”

It’s ‘our’ problem: The growing heroin epidemic across Wisconsin

The bill was proposed April 16 and now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives.