Prescription Drug Bill Passes House

• {Frankfort, Kentucky}...The House voted 70-28 Wednesday to approve legislation that would make it easier to identify and prosecute doctors who overprescribe painkillers that are being widely abused in Kentucky. The measure 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 opposes the House measure, but House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who sponsored the measure, says it is crucial in a state where nearly 1,000 people are dying from drug overdoses each year.