LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska could abandon its title as one of only two states without a program to monitor prescription painkillers.
Senators voted 47-0 Wednesday to advance a bill by Sen. Sara Howard of Omaha that would to tighten surveillance of highly abused medications.
The bill would create a free database for medical professionals to check before prescribing or distributing opioid painkillers, preventing addicts from getting prescriptions from multiple doctors and multiple pharmacies.
The system would take effect within two years. Nebraska has received pair of grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Justice for the program.
Missouri is the only other state without a prescription drug monitoring program.
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The bill is LB471.
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