Md. health official decries prescription drug abuse

Maryland’s deputy secretary for public health services urged Maryland lawmakers to approve a prescription drug monitoring program on Thursday.

According to Dr. Fran Phillips, there is ample evidence of a major public health concern from prescription drug abuse. If the bill is passed, a database would be created to track prescriptions of potentially dangerous drugs like OxyContin. Some representatives fear that such a database would prevent doctors from prescribing the drugs to people who severely need them to manage pain.

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