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Bluelight Crew
Local police who are investigating the illegal distribution of powerful painkillers will have access to a state database tracking prescriptions for the drugs under rules approved by health officials last week. The expansion of the Prescription Monitoring Program comes just as local departments are being asked to take on more responsibility for the drug cases.
The State Police last month closed an eight-member drug diversion unit created in 1974 to investigate illegal distribution of prescription drugs, to narrow a $3 million budget gap.
Prescription drug abuse has been an intractable problem in Massachusetts for years, and State Police spokesman David Procopio said the agency was reluctant to eliminate the unit. But the expansion of the monitoring program to local law enforcement officials and other agencies “mitigated a little bit of the concern we had,” he said.
In addition to local police, a State Police narcotics unit and investigators attached to each of the district attorney’s offices will investigate diversion of prescription drugs, Procopio said. Federal offices, including the US Drug Enforcement Administration, also play a role in the state. Under the new rules, those groups will also gain access to the online database, in which pharmacists are required to record each prescription they fill.
“We’ll try to fill the gaps,” said Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...qX7oDX3XEORwT38s7eZM/story.html?event=event12
The State Police last month closed an eight-member drug diversion unit created in 1974 to investigate illegal distribution of prescription drugs, to narrow a $3 million budget gap.
Prescription drug abuse has been an intractable problem in Massachusetts for years, and State Police spokesman David Procopio said the agency was reluctant to eliminate the unit. But the expansion of the monitoring program to local law enforcement officials and other agencies “mitigated a little bit of the concern we had,” he said.
In addition to local police, a State Police narcotics unit and investigators attached to each of the district attorney’s offices will investigate diversion of prescription drugs, Procopio said. Federal offices, including the US Drug Enforcement Administration, also play a role in the state. Under the new rules, those groups will also gain access to the online database, in which pharmacists are required to record each prescription they fill.
“We’ll try to fill the gaps,” said Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...qX7oDX3XEORwT38s7eZM/story.html?event=event12
