Missouri still the only state without a prescription drug monitoring database

Lawmakers are working on passing a bill that would make Missouri the last state to have a prescription drug monitoring program. Lawmakers have fillibustered similar bills in the past, but they never made it past discussion.

Senate bill 63 allow doctors and pharmacists to keep a look out for possible “doctor shopping”.

One big reason Missouri doesn’t have the database is because some senators don’t like the bill. One senator in particular, Senator Rob Schaaf a Republican from St. Joseph, doesn’t like the fact anyone can look at someone’s history of medication. In the past, he has said it’s a privacy concern.

Even the New York Times called out Missouri for standing alone in the matter.

Several state’s monitoring program keys in on drugs like oxycontin and hydrocodone because they can become addictive.

Senate bill 63 also said prescribers can face a class a misdemeanor charge if they don’t submit the proper information. It would also require the Department of Health and Senior Services to give a report to lawmakers each year on how many controlled substances were dispensed each year.