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Suit Wants Pharmacies to Bust Drug Abusers

Lawsuit blames stores for zonked driver's accident

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 28, 2009 10:05 AM CDT
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(Newser) – When a driver, high on painkillers, ran her car into two guys fixing a flat tire on the side of the highway, killing one of them, the victims' families filed a lawsuit—against the pharmacies that sold the painkillers. That case, pending before the Nevada Supreme Court, will be the first to address whether pharmacies, which now have access to online prescription-tracking databases, should be held responsible for enabling drug abusers. The defendants—including Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens—are worried.

A year before the accident, Nevada’s controlled substance taskforce sent a letter warning pharmacies that 35-year-old Patricia Copening had recently purchased huge doses of painkillers. But the letter didn’t contain specific instructions, and many continued filling Copening’s prescriptions. It’s a go-to case for those pushing pharmacies to use new information from prescription-tracking databases to blow the whistle on abusers. But the chains say that if the lawsuit succeeds, they’ll have to raise prices, stop stocking certain painkillers, and refuse potentially legitimate customers.

In this Jan. 31, 2008 file photo, customers walk into a CVS store in North Andover, Mass.
In this Jan. 31, 2008 file photo, customers walk into a CVS store in North Andover, Mass.   (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, file)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 10 comments
BleeBloo
Oct 29, 2009 8:21 AM CDT
It's sad--this probably means that pharmacies will tighten their grip on ALL pain medications, and legitimate customers will find it even harder to get their legitimately prescribed, and medically necessary, pain medication.
serfinWI
Oct 28, 2009 7:18 AM CDT
Just like arming teachers with guns. Something not right about it. You'd think her insurance would start denying or at least send a red flag to the pharmacists computer. Unless she pays cash and hops pharmacies. I'm assuming this happened in Las Vegas, where there are probably hundred of pharmacies and not some small hodunk 1 pharmacy outback town. Letters from a taskforce set aside, forgotten, during a busy day. The taskforce should of asked the police to get a warrant, follow her or search her house/property.
cunomor
Oct 28, 2009 7:15 AM CDT
If someone's writing a prescription there is always a trail. Doctors in my city (pop. 450k) will warn each other when an abuser starts making the rounds.

 
prescription drugs • drug abuse • CVS • Walgreens • Walmart • prescription painkillers • pharmacy

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