Nelson Vergel
Founder, ExcelMale.com
DEA Wants Inside Your Medical Records to Fight the War on Drugs
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which passed Congress in March, calls for expanding sharing of PDMP data.
From a privacy standpoint this is problematic for a number of reasons. For starters, there is little uniformity between state PDMP laws. While most PDMPs include thte full name, address, and date of birth of the patient—as well as the name, strength, and quantity of the controlled substance dispensed—statutes vary widely in terms of what drugs are tracked and who qualifies for access.
According to the Department of Justice, only 19 states require a warrant for law enforcement to access their PDMP, and more than a dozen allow out-of-state police agencies access. Less than a quarter of states require that patients are notified when or if their prescription information might be accessed.
To the casual observer the databases are aimed primarily at limiting illicit use of potentially deadly opioid narcotics. And fatalities tied to prescription drugs are frequently cited by policy makers and medical professionals who support mandatory database sharing.
But most state PDMPs encompass a host of common pharmaceuticals—ranging from tightly controlled Schedule II drugs, like OxyContin and morphine, to more innocuous Schedule V substances, such as seizure and epilepsy drugs with virtually no potential for abuse.
Fifteen state registries even house information on non-controlled substances.
Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance that in addition the gender identity disorder is used to treat hormone deficiency in men and prostate cancer. It has a “high potential for abuse” as a performance enhancing steroid, according to the DEA, though it's not clear how much is diverted from legitimate use onto the black market. There are several moderate-to-severe side effects from steroid use, but overdose does not appear to be one of them.
Other drugs covered by state prescription monitoring laws include frequently prescribed medications that have low-to-no overdose potential. These include medications used to treat insomnia, weight loss associated with AIDS, nausea in cancer patients, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In fact, opioids represent a tiny proportion of drugs covered by PDMPs.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...edical-records-to-fight-the-war-on-drugs.html
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which passed Congress in March, calls for expanding sharing of PDMP data.
From a privacy standpoint this is problematic for a number of reasons. For starters, there is little uniformity between state PDMP laws. While most PDMPs include thte full name, address, and date of birth of the patient—as well as the name, strength, and quantity of the controlled substance dispensed—statutes vary widely in terms of what drugs are tracked and who qualifies for access.
According to the Department of Justice, only 19 states require a warrant for law enforcement to access their PDMP, and more than a dozen allow out-of-state police agencies access. Less than a quarter of states require that patients are notified when or if their prescription information might be accessed.
To the casual observer the databases are aimed primarily at limiting illicit use of potentially deadly opioid narcotics. And fatalities tied to prescription drugs are frequently cited by policy makers and medical professionals who support mandatory database sharing.
But most state PDMPs encompass a host of common pharmaceuticals—ranging from tightly controlled Schedule II drugs, like OxyContin and morphine, to more innocuous Schedule V substances, such as seizure and epilepsy drugs with virtually no potential for abuse.
Fifteen state registries even house information on non-controlled substances.
Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance that in addition the gender identity disorder is used to treat hormone deficiency in men and prostate cancer. It has a “high potential for abuse” as a performance enhancing steroid, according to the DEA, though it's not clear how much is diverted from legitimate use onto the black market. There are several moderate-to-severe side effects from steroid use, but overdose does not appear to be one of them.
Other drugs covered by state prescription monitoring laws include frequently prescribed medications that have low-to-no overdose potential. These include medications used to treat insomnia, weight loss associated with AIDS, nausea in cancer patients, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In fact, opioids represent a tiny proportion of drugs covered by PDMPs.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...edical-records-to-fight-the-war-on-drugs.html
