Advocates urge database for prescription drug tracking

Members of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) NOW coalition were joined by a law enforcement officer and a state representative as they voiced their support for legislation that would establish a database to monitor and track prescription drugs, during a Monday press conference at the Capitol.

Missouri is the only state in the country without a program to monitor the prescription and sale of controlled substances.

"Controlled substances are prescription medications scheduled by the Drug Enforcement Agency because of their potential for abuse," said Stephen Keithahn, medical director of Woodrail General Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. "They are incredibly beneficial medications for certain patients with acute or chronic pain or anxiety. Many people absolutely need these medications for their overall well being and function."

In the last month approximately 6.5 million people abused prescription drugs, and the abuse rate of prescription drugs exceeded cocaine, hallucinogenics, inhalants and heroin combined, Keithahn said.

Legislation to create a monitoring program for certain prescription drugs previously passed the House, but only to die in the Senate, said State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston. She added that the lack of a program is "shameful" and that she intends to prefile the same legislation in early December that was put forward last year for the program.

"I have yet to hear someone claim that drug trafficking and prescription drug abuse is not a serious issue affecting every corner of our state," Rehder said. "This legislation would create a secure database for doctors and pharmacists to maintain and check for information about patients who have been prescribed drugs that have a high potential for being abused or misused."

Rehder said that every day 46 people in the country die from prescription drug overdoses, and 15,000 die every year from overdoses on painkillers specifically. She also said the purposed legislation would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant to gain access to the monitoring program.

In the prescription drug monitoring program in Kansas, .03 percent of inquires into the system were made by law enforcement officials, said Bob Twillman, director of policy and advocacy for the American Academy of Pain Management and a chair for the advisory committee for the Kansas prescription drug monitoring program.

Twillman also explained that only .7 percent of those who were prescribed medication were acquiring the medicine for misuse and abuse, but that is because only 3 percent of all prescriptions were controlled substances that had a high potential for abuse.

"Law enforcement is not asking the PDMP to give us more tools to investigate these crimes," said Jeff Rolland, deputy chief of police for Popular Bluff Police Department. "The power of subpoena and search warrant has judicial and prosecutorial review, so there is oversite in place already for those mechanisms to allow law enforcement to investigate crimes. But, we are asking for the PDMP because it will save lives."

Rolland said that pharmacists in his area have had people come from Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and other states to circumvent their own state programs to buy prescription drugs. This has made Missouri unpopular with surrounding states' law enforcement officers, Rolland said.

Senate opposition for the PDMP is led by state Sen. Bob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, who is a doctor. Schaaf said his concern was that prescription drug databases contain sensitive, personal information that government officials don't need to know.

"All they have to do is punch in your name and address, and they can find out every controlled substance you've been prescribed," Schaaf previously said.

Schaaf didn't return a call for comment.

The PDMP would store the data in a high security database much like the electronic medical records that hospitals keep, Twillman said. The reason pharmacists cannot use existing medical records is because of the different software used by doctors and physicians. The data is stored temporarily, in most states no shorter than three years, Twillman said.

And, he added, that the databases are more secure than bank records.

"I am open to working with any member of the General Assembly to ensure the privacy provisions are crafted as tightly as possible," Rehder said. "Every state now has this, so certainly Missouri could can craft a piece of legislation that protects privacy while saving lives. Drug addiction crosses all back grounds ... it affects everyone. It is an epidemic across America and Missouri has to take that seriously."

The program is intended to be funded by grants, scholarships and federal funds at no additional cost to taxpayers, Rehder said.