CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) – West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey recently joined a coalition of 33 states requesting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to permit methadone clinics to provide state prescription drug monitoring programs with dispensing data.
Methadone is currently an exemption under many state laws that require health providers to register for and check their state’s database before prescribing potentially addictive medications. Taking away the exemption, Morrisey believes, would help reduce the misuse of opioids.
“These monitoring programs are one of the best tools in fighting opioid abuse, drug overdoses and the countless crimes caused by addiction,” Morrisey said. “Increasing accountability will help pharmacists and doctors keep prescription drugs out of the wrong hands.”
Morrisey signed the letter with Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens and Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills, along with attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.