NH (along with MO) is one of 2 states without a prescription drug monitoring program.
The databases track prescriptions so doctors can access patients’ records to determine whether they already have multiple orders for a narcotic. Pharmacists can flag police if they suspect a doctor or clinic is dispensing an unusually large amount of painkillers. Police can use the records to bolster their cases against “pill mills” that dispense massive quantities of pain pills with little or no examination of patients.
I'm sure we all agree that these programs are costly to taxpayers and violate civil liberties. However, it gets worse. States are starting to link their programs with other states. This is becoming a big freedom issue. A national database is forming.
In August, Kentucky and Ohio became the first states to link their databases to make it tougher for addicts in one of the states to avoid detection by visiting a doctor in the other. Those states joined with West Virginia and Tennessee in an interstate alliance to coordinate databases, laws and investigations to try to keep pill mills shut down in one state from popping up across the border.
“Kentucky and Ohio have already broken the code,” says Bruce Grant, former executive director of the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy in Florida. “By agreeing to provide information to pursue investigation, you won’t have people jumping back and forth over state lines and doing this with impunity.”
Last month, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy launched a database hub that allows a doctor or pharmacist to retrieve painkiller prescription data from any state linked into the hub, Executive Director Carmen Catizone says. Ohio, Indiana and Virginia have linked in and 20 other states have agreed to do so this year, he says.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/...50022/States-try-to-crack-down-on-pill-mills-
There are different levels of databases:
NH, MO are best because they don't have a database
Schedule II PA
Schedules II-III RI, WI (HB332, the NH bill that will very likely fail, calls for adding NH to this category)
Schedules II-IV AZ, CA, FL, IA, KS, ME, MN, NV, NJ, NM, OR, SC, SD, VT, VA, WV, WY
And the worst states on this issue are the Schedules II-V states of AK, AL, AR, CO, CT, DE, GA, Guam, HI, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MI, MS, NY, NC, ND, MD, MT, OH, OK, TN, TX, UT, WA
http://www.pmpalliance.org/content/prescription-monitoring-frequently-asked-questions-faq
Though, NH isn't out of the woods, either. USA Today published an editorial calling for NH to enact such a law.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinio...-painkillers-with-prescription-monitoring.htm That was horrible of USA Today but at least it allowed a former New Hampshire Liberty Alliance board member and former New Hampshire Liberty Alliance Legislator of the Year to write an opposing view.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinio...-prescription-monitoring-in-New-Hampshire.htm
Bills to create such a horrible database have come up 3 times in the past and were defeated all 3 times, even when Democrats controlled the state. A bill this year to do so failed to leave a house committee. It will likely leave the committee at some point but likely be defeated. Let's hope so! If you live in NH, please stay informed. If you don't please consider moving to NH and helping us stop this issue next time it comes up. As a national database forms, there will be increased pressure from national groups to pass a bill in NH. Follow the bill here,
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bil...tion=&txtsessionyear=2011&txtbillnumber=HB332
We have got to demand paper ballots with hand count. Any kind of electronic voting can easily be hacked and rigged.
