Senate Bill 1180 – the Prescription Monitoring Program just passed the Senate with 2 negative votes (Ferlo and Folmer). Please take a few minutes to thank the legislators who supported this effort!!
This is a statewide database that medical professionals and law enforcement could use to combat prescription drug abuse. It would create a registry of prescribed medications, like OxyContin and Percocet, that are commonly abused or sold illegally. It also will l help with tracking those “doctor shopping,” the practice of addicts attempting to secure prescriptions from multiple doctors.
Pharmacists and doctors still have discretion in how they use the database and won’t be forced to use the database at this point. Before the database can take effect, a board charged with overseeing the program must be formed with representatives from various state agencies.
