ST. LOUIS (AP) — The nation's drug czar says monitoring programs help address growing prescription drug abuse problems. In fact, Missouri is the only state that's refused to set up one.
White House Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske will be in suburban St. Louis on Wednesday to discuss prescription-drug tracking and call for Missouri to act.
Methamphetamine, heroin and even synthetic drugs get the most attention. But Kerlikowske told The Associated Press in an interview that accidental prescription-drug overdoses far outnumber those involving other drugs.
Kerlikowske notes Florida was home to 90 of the nation's top 100 prescription-dispensing doctors before the state instituted a tracking program in 2009. It's now down to 13 of the top 100.
Some Missouri lawmakers have cited privacy concerns in blocking efforts to set up monitoring in that state.
