Committee Agrees South Carolina Prescription Monitoring Program Could Help Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse

In March this year, Governor Nikki Haley issued Executive Order 2014-22, which created the Governor’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Council. The council was tasked with studying South Carolina’s problem with prescription drug abuse, and finding methods to help curb the problem. Now, the council said that enacting its recommendations, including creating a prescription drug tracking database, and requiring SC Health Care Officials to enroll in the South Carolina Prescription Monitoring Program, can help curb the problem of addiction to prescription narcotics and barbiturates.

The council recommended creating the prescription drug database so that doctors and pharmacists can monitor patients’ refills and requests for drugs. This can help prevent drug-seeking behaviors like doctor-shopping, in which patients visit multiple doctors complaining of chronic pain so that they can get multiple prescriptions for narcotics or sedatives. It can also detect if a patient is taking too much addictive pain medication by tracking how many refills they seek – this could also indicate that the patient may be selling their prescription drugs, or there is an addict in their life stealing pills. Further, the South Carolina Prescription Monitoring Program (prescription drug database) can track how many prescriptions doctors write, which could prevent pill mills or illegal drug activity.

The Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Council helped create a voluntary drug tracking database, but so far, just 21% of prescribers have joined the South Carolina Prescription Monitoring Program. The council recommended passing a law that would require health care professionals to participate in the drug monitoring program.

“This is the quickest, most effective tool we have” in getting excess painkillers off the streets, said Council member Louis Costa, a surgeon and immediate past chairman of the state Board of Medical Examiners. “It’s a break with tradition to mandate this, but we believe the public deserves it.”

The report also noted that more South Carolina residents die from prescription drug abuse and overdose, especially from narcotics like OxyContin and Percocet, than heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine combined.

“The cornerstone to start turning the tide on this epidemic is to reduce the excess supply of prescription drugs causing addiction, rather than medical benefit, emanating from the physician prescription pad, both from unscrupulous pill mills and unwittingly naive physicians,” Inspector General Patrick Maley wrote in his May 2013 report.

“Prescription drug abuse is a serious issue in this country and in South Carolina, affecting far too many of our citizens and their families,” said Gov. Haley. “Finding solutions for drug addiction of any kind is always complicated and takes a real team effort and I thank Inspector General Maley and our partners for their leadership and willingness to help combat this growing problem.”

The Strom Law Firm Protects Against Prescription Drug Abuse Charges

Being arrested for prescription drug abuse in South Carolina is something that can be devastating financially and emotionally, and can have long-lasting personal and professional consequences. We understand what you are going through, and we are here to help.

Whether you are charged with:

• Prescribing or writing Illegal prescriptions,
• Doctor Shopping or attempting to obtain drugs by fraud or deceit,
• Illegally possessing prescription drugs,
• Selling prescription drugs, or
• Stealing or Forging Prescriptions for drugs,

Contact the South Carolina prescription fraud attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC today for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case. We will investigate your case from every angle, determine whether an illegal search took place and seek to have your charges reduced or even dismissed. 803.252.4800