©
RALEIGH, N.C.
North Carolina sheriffs want access to state computer records that identify people with prescriptions for certain drugs, an idea that patient advocates oppose.
The state sheriff's association proposed the idea Tuesday to a legislative health care committee, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported. The sheriffs said they want access to state computer records identifying anyone with prescriptions for powerful painkillers and other controlled substances.
"We can better go after those who are abusing the system," said Lee County Sheriff Tracy Carter.
More people in their counties die of accidental overdoses than from homicides, the sheriffs said.
The state began a computer database in 2007 to help doctors identify patients who go from doctor to doctor looking for prescription drugs they may not need and to keep pharmacists from supplying patients with too many pills.
Nearly 30 percent of state residents received at least one prescription for a controlled substance in the first six months of 2010, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly 2.5 million people filled prescriptions in that time for more than 375 million doses. The database has about 53.5 million prescriptions in it.
About 20 percent of the state's doctors have registered to use the information, and 10 percent of the pharmacies are registered.
Patient advocates say they're concerned about privacy issues for people in pain.
"I don't feel that I should have to sign away my privacy rights just because I take an opioid under doctor's care," said Candy Pitcher of Cary, who volunteers for the nonprofit American Pain Foundation.
The American Civil Liberties Union opposed a bill in 2007 that would have opened the list to law enforcement officials and probably would object to this proposal as well, said ACLU lobbyist Sarah Preston.
"What really did concern us is the privacy aspect," she said.
Opening the record to more users could deter someone from getting necessary medicine because of the fear that others would find out, she said, "particularly in small towns where everybody knows everybody."
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Simple.....N-O Law
Simple.....N-O
Law enforcement needs to get back to core policing and get out of trying to weasel into prescription monitoring just to justify applying for a few more dollars or to expand their vice unit.......N-O
As a Virginia resident I personally feel the Virginia Prescription Monitoring program is a terrible invasion of my privacy.....remember it's already been hacked once and held for ransom......the recent D.M.V debacle shows our IT resources are no safer now.
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety". Benjamin Franklin
I have NO problem with a Pharmacy-Doctor-Patient database.......but as soon as you let the Government and LEO into it your asking for civil rights abuses and trouble.
More people die from
More people die from accidental overdose than from homocide... now, that doesn't specify how many of those overdoses were actually people for whom the prescription was intended. What good does it do to monitor Person A's prescriptions if Person A's husband/wife/kids/friends are the ones taking the pills? How many of those overdoses are from people trying to get high off of some stolen pills?
you've got to be kidding me!!!!
If they want us to believe that they are concerned w/accidental OD V/S homasides then they must think we're just as stupid as this sounds. If they're so concerned about accidental OD, just how do they propose to stop them? Are they going to be coming around checking to make sure you're taking your meds correctly? I think not.
No way should they have any access ever to this prescription medication database. They will abuse it & I can gaurentee it. I know we've all heard of profilling. This would lead to way more profilling than any immigration law. Once they see your name on it they would assume you to be guilty of being under the influence, even if you weren't. We all know what assuming does. Not to mention the HIPPA laws would be violated. I say no-way to this request, now go get the illegal drug dealers & users off the street. That's where your focus should be, on them, the ones breaking the law, not the ones legally trying to cope w/their pain & suffering.
Database access for Law Enforcement???
Sorry, but this is a direct violation of the right to privacy as well as a violation of HIPPA. There is no reason in the world why any law enforcement agency needs access to a prescription database. Fight the war on drugs at the Illegal level not those that are legally prescribed. Get the illegal drugs off the streets first, then worry about the legally, prescribed ones. This is not to say that legal prescriptions are not abused by some people, of course it happens but the concentration should be on the ones that are illegal. Let the doctors and pharmacists sort out the legal ones.
Once the box is opened...
Once the access is granted, you never get the privacy back. Sorry sir, you can't own a gun since you took painkillers eigth years ago for a broken back. Sorry sir, we stopped you since you went to the doctor twice this week for symptoms that could impair driving. Sorry sir, but we aren't going to hire you since we found out of your medical history.
Once rights and privacies are lost, they're never given back!
1984?
Big Brother is alive and well in NC. BTW, what about the idea that "If you have nothing to hide, why object?" Or does that only apply to immigration?
nothing to hide?
I don't think it has much to do with hiding anything. I surely don't in this situation. I am concerned with how much is enough for big brother? Sure I want to be protected, but not at the cost of my rights and liberties.
here we go again
This wouldn''t be as big a problem if law enforcement were winning the fight on the streets with ILLEGAL drugs. Bait and switch. After all, like the gun laws, it is so much easier to go after those who follow the law. More government getting into our personal lives.
accidental overdoses than from homicides
So what has this got to do with Sheriffs needing access to the database?
We have far too many people wanting to peek into our personal records
to protect us from ourselves and do an end run around the Constitution.