States to link prescription drug databases

With federal money and prodding, states are being asked to sign on to an agreement allowing police, pharmacies, and physicians to check suspicious prescription pill patterns from Nevada to North Carolina.

Civil liberties and privacy advocates have objected to the state databases, which would be linked with technology and standards developed by the Justice and Homeland Security departments.

Thirty-four states operate databases to fight a drug problem authorities say is growing more deadly than heroin.

“I’ve got people that are kin to me that’s addicted and I see firsthand what it does,’’ said Tracy Carter, sheriff in Lee County, N.C., about 30 miles southwest of Raleigh. “The thing that’s so darn frustrating is our young people don’t think it’s that big of a deal. ‘It’s a pill. It won’t hurt me. The doctor prescribed it.’ But it’s worse than crack cocaine.’’

North Carolina had 826 unintentional deaths from controlled substances last year, said Bill Bronson, the state health official in charge of the database. In comparison, there were 482 homicides statewide.

Nationally, there were 27,658 overdose deaths from prescription medication in 2007 — more than heroin and cocaine combined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in July. The threat is increasing as the most addictive pain relievers including OxyContin, become more common, the Drug Enforcement Administration said.

Penney Cowan, founder of the American Chronic Pain Association, said she understands the need for monitoring potential abuse. But she worries the databases will discourage people who need painkillers. Physicians already fear their legitimate prescribing may trigger interest from investigators, she said.

“What we never hear about is how people with pain, who because they take these medications, are able to function, to be a productive part of society,’’ Cowan said.

The databases alert physicians and pharmacies to patients who see several doctors to collect multiple prescriptions, letting them judge whether to refuse a potential abuser. Law enforcement officials say the databases allows them to document a pattern of abuse after investigations or informants point to a suspected pill dealer or dirty doctor.

A 2006 report conducted for the Justice Department said prescription drug databases cut the supply of painkillers and stimulants, reducing the probability of their abuse. The rate of painkiller abuse would have been 10 percent higher by 2003 without the databases, the report said.

The Prescription Monitoring Program Information Exchange would swap information through a central hub at Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy. State databases were checked more than 2 million times in 2008, the Justice Department said. The databases flagged prescription activity on nearly 500,000 more potential abusers.