This licensing database was misused to monitor the public, not just licensees

A new law passed in the state of Utah has significantly decreased the usage of the state’s prescription drug database by law enforcement, according to a December 15 legislative audit.

The law, requiring law enforcement officials to obtain a warrant before accessing the database, was implemented in response to data that revealed police were misusing the Controlled Substance Database (CSD).

The database was created to assist practitioners and pharmacists to provide efficient, responsible care for patients—not for law enforcement to liberally monitor the public’s prescription drug usage.

The audit selected 40 cases at random of law enforcement accessing the CSD, and found that in more than have of the cases, the officers did so questionably. In one of the cases, the audit discovered that law enforcement used the information illegally.

The law has decreased the usage of the CSD by law enforcement by 95 percent.

Read the audit here.