UK committee wants tighter prescription painkiller monitoring
The UK Parliament's home affairs committee has called for anonymous data to be collected on people who become addicted to painkillers, amid concerns about prescription drugs with potential for addiction or abuse, and how these are being supplied.
The influential committee, which is largely concerned with the Home Office, has grouped the medical drug issue alongside that of recreational drugs with psychotropic effects that have become available legally.
The member of Parliament leading the report said doctors should intervene on the issue and "illuminate" the problem by "reporting suspicions".
"There are currently 1.5 million people addicted to prescription drugs in the UK. The abuse of these types of substances is taking place in the shadows, and its extent is still unquantified.
"Local GPs need to report their suspicious and collate information to illuminate this problem.
"If we do not act, the catastrophic consequences of tomorrow can be seen in the US today."
Keith Vaz, member of Parliament and chair of the UK's home affairs Commons select committee.
Related news:
Prescription drugs: Call to tackle addiction (BBC).
Reference links:
Drugs: new psychoactive substances and prescription drugs (UK home affairs committee report.)