SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - South Dakota lawmakers are taking Martin Luther King Junior Day off and return to Pierre tomorrow for a four-day work week.
Representative Mike Stevens of Yankton says one of the bill on the fast track is a plan to monitor prescription drugs, such as opioids, more closely.
Stevens says the aim is to make sure that every individual who is licensed to prescribe opiates are using the state's monitoring system.
Stevens says most doctors are not entering that prescription information into the state's system.
He says technology hasn't quite caught up to where we're at but "we feel that's going to be taken care of." He says it's important to make sure people are only getting the prescription drug that they need.
Stevens says the summer study committee heard many examples of how drugs are being abused.
He says some will go around shopping for more that one physician to get mediications. He thinks that monitoring will help the physicians as they are treating their patients. And he doesn't believe it will having any negative impact who people who need opiates.
Stevens is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.