Department of
Criminology and Criminal Justice

This study describes how prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are used and identifies the strengths and weakness found in the four PDMPs studied. Focus groups were conducted with law enforcement officers in four states. The results indicate that making it easier to obtain information from the systems in other states or establishing a regional (or national) system would improve and speed investigations. The study also found that officers felt that PDMP systems should be made more proactive to “red flag” offenders and provide evidence of “doctor shopping” by those who may fall outside the normal range of prescription patterns.