Without much debate, prescription medication abuse is a widespread problem in West Virginia, particularly as to popular pain killers like hydrocodone (also known as Lortabs) and oxycontin.
Sadly, many folks who are lawfully prescribed these medications turn to over-use of the medications or outright illegal selling of the same. To obtain more than they need, folks will go to different doctors in various areas to get multiple prescriptions for the same alleged medical condition, a practice known as "doctor shopping."
Now, the State of West Virginia will be cracking down on folks who get large quantities of these drugs and on medical providers who over-prescribe them. By the end of March, 2013, State Police and certain drug task forces in the State will have access to a fully operational computer tracking system that will help law enforcement determine the identity of "doctor shoppers" and medical providers who over-do it.
In Webster County, when law enforcement receives information resulting in a reasonable suspicion that a person may be "doctor shopping," they request prescription information about that person from the State Board of Pharmacy, which is a rather cumbersome process to determine if any abuse is occurring. The new computerized system will be much quicker as law enforcement will have immediate access to the information.
Law enforcement in Webster County have for many years now instituted a policy to help crack down on at least one type of prescription pill abuse. Some folks will file reports that their prescriptions were stolen, hoping that law enforcement will file a report so that the person can go back and get more drugs. Before law enforcement will file such a report, folks claiming their prescriptions were stolen must first submit to a polygraph examination (i.e., lie detector test).
For more detailed articles on West Virginia's prescription medication abuse problem, please click the links below:
West Virginia has a specific law criminalizing "doctor shopping," as follows:
§60A-4-410. Prohibited acts--Withholding information from practitioner; additional controlled substances; penalties.(a) It is unlawful for a patient, in an attempt to obtain a prescription for a controlled substance, to knowingly withhold from a practitioner, that the patient has obtained a prescription for a controlled substance of the same or similar therapeutic use in a concurrent time period from another practitioner.
(b) Any person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, may be confined in jail for not more than nine months, or fined not more than $2,500, or both fined and confined.
(c) The offense established by this section is in addition to and a separate and distinct offense from any other offense set forth in this code.
I for one am glad to see that they are finally cracking down on this. Pills are too easy to get for some,just to be turned around and sold,traded, or snorted. Not only do they need to crack down on the suppliers,but the ones putting their families lives in danger by abusing them!
ReplyDeleteIt's about time!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad they're finally cracking down.
ReplyDeleteI am convinced that we do not have as much of a pill problem as we do a Doctor Problem.....Don't get me wrong...we are blessed to have some very fine and Professional Doctors in our area....But we have some that need to be behind bars for their total disregard of ethics and the true understanding of what their illegal acts are doing to our society....all for the Love of Money !
ReplyDelete