AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) - The Maine Prescription Drug Task Force is close to wrapping up it's first phase of work.
It will submit a report to the governor at the end of the month.
The significant jump in pharmacy robberies is what has everyone's attention. There have been 23 so far this year, early the same amount as all of last year.
Members have been focused on 4 areas. Developing a long term disposal and take back program for unused drugs, providing better education about the problem, implementing a statewide system to alert doctors and pharmacists about people who have been convicted of drug offenses and to get more doctors to use the state's prescription monitoring program.
"What we want to is doctors become more aware of the prescription shopper who goes from doctor to doctor to get these controlled substances", said Joe Bruno, Task Force Chairman and owner of 10 pharmacies.
There is no set time limit for the task force to disband. It is required to report back to the governor and the legislature every 6-months.
NEWS CENTER