System Designed To Stem Prescription-Drug Abuse

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A new statewide database system will begin operating Saturday in an effort to stem an increase in prescription drug abuse, officials said. The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics is administering the program under a $1 million federal grant. Details of the program were announced at a news conference by Gov. Brad Henry and others. Officials said there were 522 prescription drug-related deaths in Oklahoma in 2005, compared to 268 in 2000. The Comprehensive Oklahoma Narcotic Tracking and Regulation On Line project, known as CONTROL, will permit doctors and pharmacists to check whether a person has been "doctor shopping" to obtain prescriptions they can fill at multiple pharmacies. .

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