New law aims to curb prescription drug abuse

AARP Virgin Islands is celebrating a legislative victory after Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. signed a bill in December to establish a prescription drug monitoring program, taking a major step toward preventing prescription drug abuse.

The new PDMP will track prescriptions, hoping to prevent the overprescribing of opioids and other controlled substances. By monitoring prescribing patterns, the program aims to reduce misuse while ensuring safer medication practices across the territory.

The Virgin Islands is the last U.S. state or territory to implement a PDMP. Over the past two decades, PDMPs have seen widespread adoption across the country as a key strategy in combating the national opioid epidemic.

AARP Virgin Islands played a pivotal role in advocating for the bill’s passage in the Legislature. During testimony in November before the Committee on Health, Hospitals and Human Services, AARP Virgin Islands State Director Troy de Chabert-Schuster underscored the significance of the legislation.

“Without intervention like a PDMP, practices such as doctor shopping, using multiple pharmacies and borrowing — even stealing — medications will continue to harm individuals,” said de Chabert-Schuster.

PDMPs keep track of prescriptions for controlled substances, and doctors and pharmacists can use them to check a patient’s prescription history. This helps prevent doctor shopping — visits to multiple doctors to obtain excessive amounts of opioids or other drugs.

PDMPs are not a silver bullet for prescription drug abuse and overdoses, according to studies that have evaluated their effectiveness. Even so, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls them “among the most promising state-level interventions to improve opioid prescribing, inform clinical practice and protect patients at risk.” And de Chabert-Schuster noted in his testimony that they are a “proven public health initiative that aligns with AARP’s commitment to fostering the well-being of all Americans.”

Language in the bill says the territory’s Department of Health needs to write regulations for the PDMP within 18 months of the law’s enactment.

Stacey Shepard, a California-based journalist, writes about health care, the environment and other issues.

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