BILL AIMS TO TRACK CONTROLLED DRUGS WEDNESDAY

Legislators approved the creation of a statewide database Tuesday to track
prescriptions of OxyContin, Xanax and other controlled substances.

Bill sponsor Sen. Larry Means, D-Attalla, said the bill is designed to curb
doctor shopping, or getting multiple prescriptions of powerful drugs from
different doctors.

"I think it will save lives," Means said.

The Senate approved a House of Representatives' change to the bill by a
27-0 vote. The bill now goes to Gov. Bob Riley for his signature.

The system would require doctors, pharmacists and veterinarians to send the
state prescription information, including the patient's name, for certain
controlled substances. That would include OxyContin, Xanax and codeine,
drugs with a high potential for abuse. Prescriptions for antibiotics, for
example, would not be reported.

Under Means' bill, doctors would be able to look up information on patients
or prospective patients. Pharmacists could do the same. Any unauthorized
disclosure of information contained in the database would be a misdemeanor.

Law enforcement officers could access the Alabama drug database after
presenting probable cause to the Department of Public Health.

Means said he got interested in the subject after a friend's son overdosed
on OxyContin. He then heard "story after story" of similar situations.

"It kind of became a mission with me and some of these families," Means said.

About 18 other states, including Kentucky, Nevada and Utah, have similar
databases although, the databases have sometimes spawned fierce debates
over patient privacy.

The Alabama database would be maintained by a $10 fee increase on the
controlled substance registration certificate paid by doctors and
veterinarians.