Why don’t we have background checks when controlled substances are involved ?

Gun control must include background checks, Democrats tell Trump

https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/gun-control-must-include-background-checks-democrats-tell-trump

Congressional Democratic leaders warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any proposal on gun control must include a House-passed bill to expand background checks for gun purchases — or else risk no legislation at all.

The question has to be asked … why is no one talking about enhanced background checks for people who want/need controlled substances to be prescribed and filled ?

Here is a system  (  https://www.clearme.com/  )that is being used at more and more major airports to clear people and “skip the line”..

Many in our healthcare system – especially Pharmacists – have no way to “validate” the person handing them a driver’s license and Rx for a controlled substance is who they say they are.  The Pharmacist has no option but to put that pt information into the state’s PMP database.  So the serious substance abuser or diverter that has a dozen or more fake driver’s license and going to multiple prescribers and multiple pharmacies… prescribers and pharmacies can run PMP reports until the cows come home and they will never show up as being a doc/pharmacy shopper.

The first time that a person used the www.clearme.com – or comparable –  system, it would not matter who they say they are… that system uses a digital recognition of face and finger prints… and after the first time… when they interact with the system they come up ID’d as to whoever they said they were the first time that they interacted with the system.

It could be SO SIMPLE to be utilized in the healthcare system… when a pt comes to a prescriber or pharmacy… they login into the system … which interacts with the state’s PMP program and automatically generates a PMP report that is emailed to the office/pharmacy.

The PMP system could be programmed to apply certain parameters that would be highlighted on the report that could suggest that the pt is a doc/pharmacy shopper. Saving the healthcare professional time in doing a in  depth evaluation of the report.

The system could also be used to isolate prescribers/pharmacies that was not routinely using the system, by comparing PMP reports being sent to prescribers/pharmacies against prescriptions being written/filled.  Could suggest healthcare providers that could be involved in diversion.

Potentially simple solution, using current technology… and why is it not being at least being tested in some markets ?  One possible reason why it is not… is because the bureaucrats don’t really want to see the war on drugs to GO AWAY ?

11 Responses

  1. Background checks for medication would work out just about as well as background checks for guns, in other words not at all! People who are going to abuse any thing don’t care about what the law is, and they will find a way around it. I’m not willing to give up any more of my freedom for a little bit of “security”! The War on Drugs needs to address the people for whom it is meant, drug abusers, dealers, and cartels, not pain patients!!

  2. Why turn the screw tighter on law abiding citizens?

    My idea is to dispense scripts from secured vending machines!
    Create secure and vetted access. Money is dispensed this way.

    Pharmacist involvement is mostly make work fiddeling, handing grandma her allotment every month, with forced suspicion and mandated prejudice.
    It has to be an unfulling job. Look at the defeated, disallusioned expressions. You know depression is lurking…

    The pharmacist knowledge is more worthwhile than most doctor visits.
    These professionals are medical scientists!
    They are wasting their time stapling paper bags with too many staples.
    Pay them more to review scripts for appropriate chemistry and interact with patients as warranted. Can work from the beach or couch. Technicians can stock meds in vending machines. Yes, all schedules. A patient could communicate with the machine via cell phone.

    Imagine the cost savings to the industry. There are no negatives.

  3. I know this spy ware is here already but I really don’t like it and feel it’s an invasion of my privacy and my.funfer prints , face is none of their business. Used to be? You gave them all this upon being incarcerated within booking. I feel that’s we are and going further with it now.
    With this 5 G not forget to nention to bit’s going be very unhealthy, a Just another one of the MANY reasons they’re doing this is to SPY on our every move. It’s unGodly imo. We are going to be watched on every move we make. No privacy what’s so ever.
    I don’t believe there’s another class of citizens who’ve have their rights trampled more than the CP community. Feel like I’ve been arrested every
    Dr visit giving up bodily fluids already. Though,..
    I suppose if we’re already being subjected to all this violation of our rights, we may have let the Gov have everything about us. Next they’ll want size and shape of our privates parts, Bra size etc.. Oh but they probably already have that too since they see everything we do through our phones and tvs. ALL This has really gotten ridiculous and Disgusting!
    America is gone Forever.

  4. Despite the fact that no system is perfect, doing background checks and more is just another level of potential protection against addicts and other abusers getting controlled substance medications. But providers will always claim that they don’t have time to do such checks, even when state PDMP’s allow staff members to access such databases. In my practice, this is how we have operated for years: For any new applicant, we want the last 2 years of medical records from every provider they have seen; the last 2 years of pharmacy records; the last 3 years of the PDMP database print-out (that’s the maximum in the state of Oregon); a criminal background check with the Oregon State Police; over 20 pages of initial paperwork to get first appointment; over 20 pages of pain agreement policies; and regular paperwork at each visit to document activity, sleep, and more. We do all this with only 3 part-time staff members for one doctor. Large clinics have so much more staff but can’t be bothered to do this level of care. Why? Because they don’t get paid to do it! That’s all they care about. If they can’t get paid, they don’t do it. Providers here in Roseburg, Oregon refuse to do disability paperwork, DMV handicap applications, disability hunting permits, companion animal certificates, and more. Why do things when it is just easier for them to say “NO!” They will also lie and claim that the law prevents them from doing things. The level of moral and professional integrity here is abysmal.

  5. I agree 100%. The 50 year old “War on Drugs” (WOD) is a dismal failure, but it is such a “Money Cow” that politicians & the DOJ (with all its branches) have no desire/incentive to see it end. Why would they when the WOD does such things as allowing “No Knock” raids on valid doctor offices and asset seizures based only on suspicion. When those assets are sold, the money gets distributed to all involved from the local police department to the Federal prosecutor’s offices. let’s also not forget the private business prisons that are making a killing off housing those “drug criminals”. Now the WOD is the justification for such things as taking away our pain medications and violation of our medical privacy rights with such things as the PDMP databases. The monies involved with the WOD is in the billions (maybe more). When an end to the WOD is suggested at the UN, the United States is the one who votes it down and promises sanctions against those countries that vote to restructure our drug policies. All because no one making money off the WOD wants to see it end. But doubling down on the same policy (i.e., doing the same thing over and over for 50 years) and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. I expect that eventually we will get to a policy similar to that of Portugal (i.e., Harm Reduction), but it will take awhile to change the current paradigm.

  6. I might be mistaken, but I thought I’d read stories on this site which oppose PDMP’s because they’re either not effective or are counterproductive (and I don’t believe ID fraud was the reason).

    Second, as a generally pro-privacy individual, I’d be concerned with any system that relies on biometric security (eg facial, retinal, fingerprinting tech). As I understand it, methods already exist to hack, spoof or defraud such systems, and once you’ve had your identity stolen in this way, you’re really in trouble. Unlike a stolen driver’s license number, or even your social security number, you cannot change or replace your retina or fingerprints, so the risks and consequences are incredibly high. Probably too high.

    • Excellent point … The PDMP in one state was hacked a few years ago. I can’t remember which state though. Not to mention I found this when I googled PDMP hacked:

      “The results of a new study show there is insufficient evidence to confirm whether implementing these programs actually increases or decreases overdoses.”

      “Three studies showed an increase in heroin overdose deaths after the monitoring programs had been implemented.”

      https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180507174033.htm

      Again, people will do what people want to do. It is not up to the govt. to save us from ourselves, esp. when it comes to what we ingest into our own adult bodies.

      Then there’s this:

      https://www.lakeexpo.com/news/lake_news/monitoring-prescription-drugs-is-a-huge-violation-of-privacy-and/article_0a1e71b4-2ee8-11e9-8738-2793dd1efd3e.html

    • IMO… the current PMP system will do nothing to catch a serious substance abuser or diverter because of how easy it is to get a fake driver’s license. No system will be perfect … all you can do is create higher and higher obstacles to help limit the number of criminals that can game the system… currently all we are doing is giving bureaucrats some “confidence” that they system is preventing legal drugs from being diverted… Since the number of OD’s toxicology that contains multiple illegal drugs… something is causing this to happen… which may be the result of something intentional or unintentional

      • Yeah. And we have to jump all the way over the obstacles as well, made for the illicit user like it can NEVER be know we are not illicit users. STUPID! This country is permanently screwed up!

  7. Legalize it all and let the abusers and legitimate patients separate themselves, like before. It would cause less harm than now with suspecting ALL as abusers before proven innocent.
    Guns? When a mass killer decides he will use the automatics he already has or can already get, or ammonium nitrate, to mass kill we will see what good taking guns away from every target shooter was. Too much Gov. The trouble is the media can decide who gets elected so politicians and police bend any way they do.

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