Assemblyman David G. McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) recently joined LICADD Executive Director Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and his Assembly colleagues to announce unanimous passage of the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing Act (I-STOP), which creates a real-time database that gives physicians information on a patient’s prescription history before prescribing the most powerful and addictive drugs. The bill, which will require pharmacists to provide information for that purpose, reclassifies hydrocodone and tramadol to reflect the risk of abuse that comes with their use, and kicks off the process to establish “e-prescribing” of controlled substances by the end of 2014 to prevent runaway prescription fraud.

“Prescription drug abuse has had tragic consequences across our state and nation,” said McDonough. “With the creation of the I-STOP system, our doctors and pharmacists will have the tools they need to prevent doctor shopping by patients with ill intent for these powerful prescriptions. Real-time prescription monitoring is just one of the tools we can use to combat this growing phenomenon. I truly believe this system will prevent our medicine cabinets from turning into illicit pharmacies.”