CA Script Pad Problems

For the past few years, the news has been full of statistics and stories about the spread of prescription drug abuse. There are many angles from which this particular topic can be viewed. Unfortunately there is very little in the way of good news about this problem.

A story from August 2011 in Sacramento highlighted two of the main problems that are being faced right now: 1) stolen prescription pads and 2) decreased funds for fighting drug crime.

Did you know that there are only 50 printers in California who are allowed to print prescription pads for doctors? It makes sense to have some sort of control so that every Staples and Office Depot isn’t passing them out left and right. The Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement is responsible for supervising these 50 printers.

When counterfeit prescription pads have showed up at drug stores, pharmacists have reported them to the bureau. Doctors have reported nurses who are suspected of fraudulently ordering forms also.

There’s a Senate Bill 360 that has been proposed that would make it mandatory for printers to report theft or loss of prescription pads within 24 hours. It would also require all printer employees to be fingerprinted.

But will California be able to pay for all of this? Kent Shaw, acting chief of the 250 member state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement believes that, "It's absolutely essential and critical that our prescription drug monitoring program be a part of fighting it."
But the attorney general’s office is having long and heavy talks with Gov. Jerry Brown’s office and with the legislature about budget cuts. There is a plan for a $71 million state budget cut over the next two years that could not only curtail these programs, but actually shut down the state bureau that is in charge of enforcing narcotics laws.

So it’s hard to figure out who will actually be looking over the shoulders of the printers. Any volunteers?

"This is the fastest growing drug problem we have in California and the country," said Kent Shaw. Back in 2004 only 3 prescription pads were reported stolen. Unfortunately during the past year, that number jumped to 120. It’s big business when individual pills can sell for $60 apiece.