Millions More Prescriptions Now Tracked by State

By Sarah Favot and Caroline Hailey

The Boston University Statehouse Program

The Boston University Statehouse Program covers government and politics for newspapers, news websites and radio stations around the state.

BOSTON – Massachusetts residents faced a new routine when they pick up certain prescription drugs at the pharmacy on Jan. 1.

Under a law passed last summer they will have to show a driver’s license or another approved ID before the druggist can give them prescriptions ranging from addictive opiates to certain medicines for diarrhea. Their purchases will be recorded in a massive database that will include their names, addresses and the kinds and amount of pills they take.

The goal of the law is to combat the growing problem of prescription drug abuse, particularly among teens and young adults. According to one federal survey Massachusetts ranked 8th among those 18-to-25 who have used drugs not prescribed to them.

The law is similar to legislation passed in 33 states and being initiated in another 10 states. Studies suggest the programs can help combat prescription drug abuse.

But the law has other consequences that play against the national debate about the size and reach of government.

It will require more clerical work for doctors and druggists as the number of prescriptions monitored expands from the current 3.5 million a year to an estimated range of nine to 11 million.

The Department of Public Health will take on expanded responsibilities. A new set of committees will be created to determine policies and practices. Schools may have to develop new drug awareness programs for their students.

The new law also will cost more money, but by how much remains uncertain.

Rep. Harriet Stanley, D-West Newbury, chairwoman on the Joint Committee on Healthcare Financing, says that when the bill was under consideration, the Department of Public Health said the direct costs of the new monitoring system – estimated at between $1.35 million and $1.4 million – would be absorbed by the department.

But the department later requested $528,000 to roll out the programs mandated by the bill.

Read full story here.

Monitoring Programs Have Success in Other StatesBy Kevin SchwartzMassachusetts was once a national leader in prescription drug monitoring, but it had fallen behind over the past decade as other states expanded on such programs. Read more.

Teens Seeking Medicine Cabinet Highs a Growing ProblemBy Sarah TannA growing movement to track the use – and misuse – prescription drugs is being driven in part by a disturbing trend. More and more teen-agers are trying family members’ prescription medicines, thinking they are safer than illegal street drugs. Read more.

Doctors, Pharmacists Raise Issues About New Law By Shaunna Gately Although doctors and pharmacists say a new law expanding prescription drug monitoring in Massachusetts should help cut down on abuse, they have concerns about issues ranging from privacy to angry customers at the pharmacy counter. Read more.