DRUG ABUSE LEGISLATION RECEIVES LUKEWARM RESPONSE

Five of her former clients have died from OxyContin abuse, and four more
have nearly succumbed to the drug in the last few years.

That makes Rep. Robin Webb's drive to pass legislation to control the
much-abused painkiller "somewhat personal," Webb, D-Grayson, said.

Aside from that, Webb said she is bothered by the more than 100,000
OxyContin prescriptions and nearly 70 deaths attributed to abuse of the
drug last year.

Police in Kentucky have made 1,145 OxyContin arrests in the last year. More
than 800 of those were by city and county police departments.

Wednesday, Webb introduced a bill to require pharmacists to ask for a photo
ID or the thumb print of a person filling a prescription for a controlled
substance such as OxyContin. Pharmacists can make an exception for people
they know, but they would be required to write on the prescription the
method of identification they used.

"This is the first play of the game, and the pharmacists have the ball,"
Webb said.

That may not be a good game plan, local pharmacists said.

The owner of one small, local pharmacy, who asked that his name not be
used, called Webb's bill "a violation of our rights."

"I trust people," he said. "If somebody tells me he's James Smith, then I
believe him."

Richard Shields, who last year was named "pharmacist of the year" by
Wal-Mart, also was concerned about the effectiveness of the proposed
measure. "It's like turning over a truck full of gasoline and then trying
to prevent it from going down the drain," Shields said.

A better way to prevent prescription drug abuse would be to require doctors
to follow strict protocol in prescribing controlled substances.

Shields also suggested a computer registry through which doctors would
register patients on certain drugs, such as OxyContin.

"That way we'd know, this is a cancer patient, and this is a legitimate
prescription," Shields said. "It would be as simple as a phone call to a
computer."

The KASPAR computer system already in place helps track prescriptions for
narcotics and similar drugs. Webb's bill includes a proposal that would
allow law enforcement to use KASPAR information, but only for a criminal
investigation.

Ashland Detective Rob Ratliff said police would welcome "any tool we can
get," although he isn't sure asking for an ID would be a deterrent for drug
abusers.

"Abuse of the drug is a much bigger problem than that," he said.

It would help police identify a pattern of abuse, however, Ratliff said,
"especially if people are going from doctor to doctor."

Webb said the responsibility for attacking prescription drug abuse lies
with "every tier" of the system, from the distribution company to the
pushers on the street.

"We're asking pharmacists to take a burden now, but this is just the first
step," Webb said. "We've got to start somewhere. This affects employers,
families, everyone."

BETH GOINS can be reached by phone at (606) 326-2655 or by e-mail at
bgoins@dailyindependent.com