Swanson Recommends Policy Changes On Opioid Prescriptions

ST. PAUL (AP) - Attorney General Lori Swanson is recommending some changes to the way drugs are prescribed in Minnesota in hopes of reducing the number of deaths from prescription painkillers.

Swanson issued her recommendations Wednesday, as her office issued a report on the growing opioid problem.

Among her recommendations, Swanson says doctors should be required to review a patient's history in the state's prescription drug monitoring program before prescribing controlled substances.

She also says prescriptions for controlled substances should be valid for only 30 days, not the current duration of a year, to reduce the time for potential abuse.

She also recommends that a drug known to reverse an opioid overdose should be available without a prescription. And, she is calling for expanded access to drug treatment in rural areas.