I've witnessed the effects of prescription drug abuse first hand. I can tell you there is NOTHING glamorous or acceptable about this issue. Creating a national prescription narcotic database which every pharmacy is required by law to subscribe to and update in real-time would go very far in slowing this problem. It would subsequently drive down health care costs by perhaps millions!
The Basic Concept: When I fill a prescription for a controlled substance, it is automatically updated to a national registry which ALL pharmacies have access to via the web and are required to check for current or pending prescriptions in other pharmacies nationally. Now, this will also require legislation to make it illegal for doctors to prescribe drugs using pseudonyms. This is key especially in the case of celebrities. To remedy privacy concerns, we should mandate privacy laws for pharmacies which not only carry stiffer penalties for breaches in security but also make the breach punishable by mandatory imprisonment for no less than 1 year. Remember, this is a basic concept, but a very sound one.
The Bottom Line: It's time to prescribe a real and tangible solution to prescription drug abuse in America. The only ones profiting from this abuse are the drug companies. We all know how that story ends.
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