LEGAL BASES FOR THE CONTROL OF ANALGESIC DRUGS

Governments throughout the world have struggled for decades to ensure the availability of narcotic analgesics for legitimate medical and sci entific purposes while controlling the abuse and illegal diversion of such substances. While the international drug-control system has effec tively limited illicit trafficking of opioids, concerns remain about i ts effectiveness in ensuring the availability of these drugs for legit imate purposes. In the United States, federal legislation accommodates the we of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes m ore effectively than does state law. Many states' controlled substance laws hinder appropriate opioid prescribing through (a) the use of ill -defined terms, (b) restriction of pain prescriptions to a specific nu mber of dosage units; and/or (c) utilization of multiple-copy prescrip tion programs. A more efficient state approach to monitoring inappropr iate schedule II prescribing and dispensing may be through an electron ic, computer-based pharmacy point-of-sale system, through which pharma cists can be acted instantaneosly to patients receiving the same drug from multiple pharmacies. In addition, states should consider modifyin g their approaches to drug abuse by adopting the revised Uniform Contr olled Substances Act and/or establishing state pain initiatives.