ATLANTA-Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens filed a letter yesterday urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to require opioid treatment programs to submit data regarding the prescriptions they dispense to the State’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Under current federal regulations, opioid treatment programs are permitted to withhold data from the PDMP, which undermines the effectiveness of a tool used by both law enforcement officials and doctors to identify persons engaging in high-risk behavior.

“The State’s PDMP is a key tool in the fight against drug abuse,” said Attorney General Olens. “So I’ve asked Secretary Burwell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to revise federal regulations that currently permit opioid treatment programs to withhold data regarding the prescriptions they dispense from the PDMP. Providing that additional data to the PDMP will improve its effectiveness, which will save lives.”

Thirty-one States and Territories joined the letter sponsored by General Olens and Maine Attorney General Janet Mills.

A copy of the letter is available here: LINK

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