Bill Would Require Physicians to Check Prescription Database before Prescribing Opioids

With about three months left until adjournment, New Jersey state lawmakers are still hoping to pass a bill which would require physicians to check the state’s prescription drug monitoring program before prescribing opioids. The legislation, Senate Bill 1998, would make New Jersey the sixth state in the nation to require physicians to check a drug monitoring database before writing a script for opioids. According to the 2013 report "Scenes from an Epidemic" from the New Jersey Commission of Investigation, about 75% of drug-related deaths in the state involve pres...