State House passes drug-monitoring bill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House has passed legislation to create a prescription-drug monitoring program.

Representatives voted 87-66 Thursday to approve the proposal and send it to the Senate.

The bill would make Missouri the final state to create a database aimed at informing doctors and pharmacists when similar prescriptions were dispensed recently to the same person.

Bill sponsor Rep. Holly Rehder, a Republican from Sikeston, said a monitoring program would help combat opiate addiction.

Opponents said the database would violate people's privacy.

Similar proposals have stalled in the past in the Senate. Rehder said she is hopeful passing the bill out of the House so early in the session would give it enough time to work through the Senate.