Major newspapers publish reflections, reactions and details (including videos) on new law that will fight 'pill mills'

Reflections on the new law to fight "pill mills" are in both of Kentucky's major metropolitan newspapers today.

The Courier-Journal, which rightly takes partial credit for focusing attention on the issue, has a story by Laura Ungar that summarizes what the bill will do and not do. In the Lexington Herald-Leader, Kentucky Medical Association President Shawn Jones has an opinion piece defending his organization's lobbying against key parts of the bill.

"Unfortunately, in a desire to pass something, many did not consider the details of proposed legislation, and many of the details were extremely troublesome," writes Jones, right. "Most troubling were the proposed infringements on patient privacy through access to the state's Kentucky All Scheduled Prescription Electronic Reporting, or KASPER, system, which contains what is essentially a log of all of the controlled substances an individual has bought. A controlled substance is not just what many people have characterized as 'pain medicine.' It also includes prescriptions for medicines for anxiety, depression or attention deficit disorder." (Read more)

Jones is among the people featured in videos posted with The Courier-Journal's story. Others include Dr. Greg Cooper of Cynthiana; attorney Fox DeMoisey, who represents physicians accused of malpractice; and Dr. Patrick Murphy, a pain-management physician, talking about the various responsibilities of doctors in his field.