Missouri legislators try to pass prescription monitoring database bill for the tenth time
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri is the only state without a database that monitors prescription drugs given to patients, but that could change soon.
On Tuesday, the Missouri Senate passed Senate Bill 63, which establishes a statewide prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) in order to address the ongoing opioid crisis. This is the tenth time a bill like this has gone through the process.
Missouri is the only state without a prescription drug monitoring program and is also 14th in the nation for opioid-involved overdose deaths, as of 2018.
Jim Marshall is the founder of Codyâs Gift, which is a nonprofit organization aiming to educate youth on the dangers of substance abuse. His son, Cody Marshall, died in 2011 after an opioid-involved overdose. Marshall now travels across Missouri to speak about his sonâs story and destigmatize negative attitudes surrounding addiction.