Davis Re-introduces Opioid Prescription Verification Act to Combat Opioid Epidemic

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) re-introduced the Opioid Prescription Verification Act, H.R. 2355, which would give law enforcement officials another tool to fight the opioid epidemic.

"Overdose deaths have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it even more critical than ever that law enforcement and health officials have the tools they need to combat drug abuse, including opioid abuse," said Rep. Davis. "That's why I re-introduced the Opioid Prescription Verification Act. This legislation, inspired by a meeting I had with the Normal Police Department a few years ago, would empower law enforcement to monitor "pharmacy shopping' and track bad actors who abuse opioid prescriptions. It's common sense that individuals should be required to show ID to pick up opioid prescriptions, which are highly addictive and a contributing factor to the opioid epidemic. We need to do more to combat this terrible opioid crisis, and H.R. 2355 will help do just that, saving lives in the process."

Currently, Illinois requires pharmacies to record information about the prescription recipient into the Illinois Prescription Management Program, but not the person picking up the prescription. This has led to what is known as 'pharmacy shopping' where drug dealers seek out pharmacies to fill opioid prescriptions prescribed to someone else.

H.R. 2355 was inspired by a meeting Davis had with the Normal Police Department. The legislation would allow law enforcement to track and stop "pharmacy shopping' of opioid prescriptions which are then sold illegally. The legislation would require pharmacists to check the ID of the person picking up an opioid prescription and enter his or her information into the state's prescription drug monitoring program. This proposal is similar to ID requirements that were placed on Sudafed sales in 2005 to combat the methamphetamine epidemic.

Specifically, H.R. 2355:

· Would encourage states to adopt systems that require pharmacists to check IDs to dispense opioids in order to curb prescription shopping and better utilize each state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) to track patterns of abuse.

· Would require the CDC to work with other agencies to offer materials and guidance to pharmacists on ID checks to help facilitate safe and responsible dispensing, and largely defers to states on how they want to implement ID checks, allowing them to decide what forms of IDs should be acceptable, what immediate danger exceptions should be allowed, and any other state-specific needs that should be addressed.

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