Prescription Abuse Bill Ready for Rounds' Signature
Local News
by
Stephany Beshara
last edited on
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Doctors say prescription drug abuse out numbers abuse of other street drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine and heroin, which is why physicians are glad House Bill 12-31 has been passed by legislators.
The new law will create a central database to monitor who's getting what prescriptions.
The law passed Tuesday and doctors say it could cut down the amount of people scamming doctors and pharmacies for pain killer drugs they don't need.
Christopher Dietrich, MD, of the Rehab Doctors, said, “It allows us to identify who is a legitimate person to adequately treat someone’s pain. If you're a pain patient it creates another level of trust with your physician. If you're a doctor shopper and you're trying to acquire meds for inappropriate reasons that will quickly become identified through this system.”
South Dakota is one of the last states not to have a program like this in place.
The Senate voted 28-5 to pass the bill, now it goes to Governor Rounds to be signed.