Ohio bill would make pharmacies record photo IDs

An Ohio state senator has introduced a bill that would require pharmacies throughout the state to verify the identities of buyers of certain controlled substances and the pain reliever tramadol.

State Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, believes that measure would reduce drug overdoses. In 2011, drug overdoses caused more than 1,700 deaths in Ohio.

“The General Assembly has made notable progress with the ‘pill mill’ legislation, but this epidemic continues to wreak havoc on our communities and the law enforcement community is asking for help,” Shannon reportedly said.

The bill would require customers to show photo ID when filling a prescription for specified controlled substances or tramadol. The pharmacy would be required to record the buyer’s name, type of identification presented, and, if available, the ID’s unique identification number. The pharmacy would be required to retain this information for three years.

The proposed dispensing rules would not apply to workers in adult care homes, hospitals, home care agencies, hospices, nursing facilities, and mental health facilities. Additionally, people other than the patient for whom the medication is prescribed would be allowed to make the purchase. However, that buyer would have to show proper identification.

“The current investigative process of fraudulent prescriptions is overly burdensome for law enforcement and usually unsuccessful,” Jones said. “Most fraudulent prescriptions are filled without detection by pharmacy staff, and, in a significant number of cases, law enforcement is never notified.”