This act also establishes the "Narcotics Control Act". The Department of Health and Senior Services shall be required to establish and maintain a program to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of all Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances by all licensed professionals who prescribe or dispense these substances in Missouri. The provisions of this act shall be subject to appropriations and may also be funded with federal or private moneys.

A dispenser shall electronically submit to the Department specified information for each controlled substance dispensed. The Department may issue a waiver to a dispenser who is unable to submit the required information electronically. If a waiver is obtained, a dispenser may submit the required information in paper format or by other approved means. Beginning January 1, 2022, the Department shall begin phasing in a requirement that dispensers report data in real time with all reported data to be submitted in real time by January 1, 2023.

All dispensation information shall be kept confidential with specified exceptions. This act authorizes the release of non-personal, general information for statistical, educational, and research purposes. The Department shall review the dispensation information and, if there is reasonable cause to believe a violation of law or breach of professional standards may have occurred, the Department shall notify the appropriate law enforcement or professional regulatory entity and provide the dispensation information required for an investigation. No dispensation information submitted to the Department shall be used by any local, state, or federal authority to prevent an individual from owning or obtaining a firearm, or used as the sole basis for probable cause to obtain an arrest or search warrant in a criminal investigation.

Beginning August 28, 2022, the Department shall maintain an individual's prescription and dispensation information obtained under this act for a maximum of 3 years, after which the information shall be deleted from the program.

If a political subdivision of this state is operating a prescription monitoring program for controlled substances prior to August 28, 2020, such program may continue until such time as the Department's program is available for statewide utilization.

Dispensers who knowingly fail to submit the required information or who knowingly submit incorrect dispensation information shall be subject to a penalty of $1,000 per violation. Any persons who are authorized to have prescription or dispensation information and who knowingly disclose such information or who knowingly use it in a manner and for a purpose in violation of this act shall be guilty of a Class E felony.

This act is similar to CCS/SS#2/HB 1693 (2020), HB 188 (2019), (SB 155 (2019), HB 1619 (2018), SB 737 (2018), SB 762 (2018), CCS/SS/HCS/HBs 90 & 68 (2017), SCS/SBs 314 & 340 (2017), SB 231 (2017), SS/SCS/SB 74 (2017), HB 1892 (2016), SB 768 (2016), HCS/SS/SCS/SBs 63 & 111 (2015), HCS/HB 130 (2015), and HCS/HB 816 (2015).

SARAH HASKINS