Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday approved legislation that will require death certificates in cases of opioid overdoses to specify which opioid was specifically involved in the death if possible.

The measure is meant to provide more information so that public health officials can better address opioid addiction.

Under existing law, if a person dies of an opioid overdose, there is no requirement the death certificate list which opioid is the cause. The new measure takes effect immediately.

“New York has taken the most aggressive actions to combat the opioid crisis of any other state in the country,” Cuomo said. “This commonsense law will go a great length to ensure we have the most accurate information to be able to stop this public health scourge once and for all.”

The measure was backed in the Legislature by Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre and Sen. John Brooks.

“The opioid crisis we are facing has been a significant problem for far too long. Currently there is no requirement that the death certificate include the specific opioid involved,” Brooks said.

“This has led to a lack of information about which types of opioids are the most deadly. By recording this information, more data will be available to better track which opioids are causing the most deaths and more communities in need will be better equipped to combat this crisis.”