[HARMRED] fyi: States linking prescription databases, fight abuse

[Hilary McQuie]

An interesting thing about this to me was learning that there is a National
Alliance for Model State Drug Laws funded by Congress.
http://www.namsdl.org/home.htm
Has anyone ever tried to work with them on harm reduction reforms?

On Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 9:52 AM, McLean, Rachel (CDPH-CID-DCDC-STD) <
Rachel.McLean at cdph.ca.gov> wrote:

>  Food for thought in terms of structural interventions for preventing
> prescription drug overdoses…
>
>
>
> Atlanta Journal-Constitution
>
>
> http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/states-linking-prescription-databases-682928.html
>
> Friday, October 15, 2010
> *States linking prescription databases, fight abuse*
>
> By EMERY P. DALESIO
>
> The Associated Press
>
> RALEIGH, N.C. — Starting next year, dozens of states will begin knitting
> together databases to watch prescription drug abuse, from powerful
> painkillers to diet <http://g.ajc.com/r/C8/> pills.
>
> With federal money and prodding, states are being asked to sign onto an
> agreement allowing police, pharmacies and physicians to check suspicious
> prescription pill patterns from Nevada to North Carolina.
>
> Civil liberties and privacy advocates have objected to the state databases,
> which would be linked with technology and standards developed by the Justice
> and Homeland Security departments.
>
> Thirty-four states operate databases to fight a drug problem authorities
> say is growing more deadly than heroin.
>
> "I've got people that are kin to me that's addicted and I see firsthand
> what it does," said Tracy Carter, sheriff in Lee County, N.C.. about 30
> miles southwest of Raleigh. "The thing that's so darn frustrating is our
> young people don't think it's that big of a deal. 'It's a pill. It won't
> hurt me. The doctor prescribed it.' But it's worse than crack cocaine."
>
> North Carolina had 826 unintentional deaths due to controlled substances
> last year, said Bill Bronson, the state health official in charge of the
> database. In comparison, there were 482 homicides statewide.
>
> Nationally, there were 27,658 overdose deaths from prescription medication
> in 2007 - more than heroin and cocaine combined, the Centers for Disease
> Control and Prevention reported in July. The threat is increasing as the
> most addictive pain relievers including OxyContin, which can produce a
> euphoric feeling, become more common, the Drug Enforcement Administration
> said.
>
> Penney Cowan, founder of the American Chronic Pain Association, said she
> understands the need for monitoring potential abuse. But she worries the
> databases will discourage people who legitimately need painkillers.
> Physicians already are spooked by the fear their legitimate prescribing may
> trigger interest from investigators, she said.
>
> "What we never hear about is how people with pain, who because they take
> these medications, are able to function, to be a productive part of
> society," Cowan said.
>
> The databases alert physicians and pharmacies to patients who see several
> doctors to collect multiple prescriptions, letting them judge whether to
> refuse a potential abuser. Law officers say the databases allows them to
> document a pattern of abuse after investigations or informants point to a
> suspected pill dealer or dirty doctor.
>
> A 2006 report conducted for the Justice Department said prescription drug
> databases cut the supply of painkillers and stimulants, reducing the
> probability of their abuse. The rate of painkiller abuse would have been 10
> percent higher by 2003 without the databases, the report said.
>
> The Prescription Monitoring Program Information Exchange would swap
> information through a central hub at Ohio's Board of Pharmacy. State
> databases were checked more than two million times in 2008, the Justice
> Department said. The databases flagged prescription activity on nearly
> 500,000 more potential abusers.
>
> A proposed interstate compact will be unveiled in time for legislatures to
> consider it when they assemble next year, said John Mountjoy, policy and
> research director of the Council of State Governments, a national nonprofit
> based in Lexington, Ky.
>
> The contract would preserve state-by-state differences that include control
> of the databases by law enforcement agencies in Texas and California, health
> departments in North Carolina and Alabama, and pharmacy boards in more than
> a dozen states.
>
> Doctors are encouraged to check the databases, but in 19 states the law
> says they aren't required to do so, according to the National Alliance for
> Model State Drug Laws.
>
> There are also differing limits on law officers' access. Some states
> require investigators to get a warrant or court order, while others just
> require an active investigation on a suspect. Vermont doesn't allow law
> officers to access the database.
>
> Some privacy groups are worried about hackers and identity theft after
> millions of electronic records were stolen from Virginia's database last
> year.
>
> North Carolina radio talk shows and bloggers erupted in September when
> sheriffs proposed changing state law to give them easier access to the
> database. A common complaint was that investigators could invade their
> privacy, though most didn't know sheriff's deputies have been able to query
> the database since 2007.
>
> "The problem is the public doesn't know about this database," said Daren
> Bakst, legal and regulatory studies director of the conservative John Locke
> Foundation in Raleigh. "You have access to a database of so many innocent
> individuals in order to find a tiny percentage who may be abusing."
>
> ___
>
> October 15, 2010 09:28 AM EDT
>
>
>
>
>
> Rachel McLean, MPH
>
> Adult Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator
>
> STD Control Branch
>
> California Department of Public Health
>
> Phone: (510) 620-3403
>
> Email: Rachel.McLean at cdph.ca.gov
>
> Website: www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/pages/ovhp.aspx
>
>
>
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