House Speaker Wants Drugs Monitored More

With prescription drug overdoses the leading cause of accidental deaths in Kentucky, state House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, is calling on the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure to better monitor doctors who over-prescribe pain medication. If the board does not take action, Stumbo is prepared to look for an agency that will, he said in a news release. Kentucky loses 82 people a month to drug overdose deaths, said Van Ingram, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy.