A statewide prescription drug monitoring program is once again a topic of debate among Missouri lawmakers.
There are loopholes in existing law that allow pill mills to operate in small counties in Missouri that are not regulated by current prescription drug monitoring programs.
Senate Bill 63, sponsored by Senator Holly Rehder, is a reiteration of similar legislation that’s been introduced over the last 10 years to enact statewide oversight for opioid abuse.The bill, debated in a Senate hearing today, would create the “Joint Oversight Task Force of Prescription Drug Monitoring” comprised of medical professionals such as members of the Missouri Dental Board and the Board of Registration for the Healing Arts. Previous versions of the bill faced opposition from members of the Conservative Caucus because of privacy and data concerns. They were not in attendance today(Thurs)

 

The new adjustments to the bill protect gun rights for patients in the system and create probable cause protections so that law enforcement is not able to use the database. Rehder also added a data purge that happens every three years and removed a penalty for fentanyl abuse.