House Committee Passes Drug Abuse Bill

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee voted 12-0 approving a prescription drug abuse bill that would require all physicians to tap into the state's prescription monitoring system to determine if patients seeking painkillers or anti-anxiety drugs have recently gotten similar medications from other doctors. Investigators from the attorney general's office also would monitor the prescribing practices of doctors, allowing quick investigations into questionable behavior. The Kentucky Medical Association opposed the measure, citing the "broad and overarching authority" given to the attorney general to gain access to what members believe should be private medical information and a provision that will require doctors to pay a fee of up to $50 a year to the attorney general's office to maintain the drug monitoring system. House Speaker Greg Stumbo, the Prestonsburg Democrat who sponsored the legislation, says the changes are crucial in Kentucky where nearly 1,000 people are dying from drug overdoses each year.