GEORGIA (WRBL) – All 355 CVS Pharmacy locations across Georgia are rolling out new measures to tackle the opioid epidemic.
The stores are installing new time delay safes to help prevent and reduce pharmacy robberies. The time delay technology has reduced pharmacy robberies by 70 % in some states. CVS stores across Georgia now have red warning labels to deter potential criminals.
State health leaders say pharmacies are easy targets, because they have opioid medications like oxycodone and hydrocodone. State lawmakers say it’s not just a Georgia problem but a national crisis, with people trafficking opioid drugs between states and leading to fatal overdoses.
“Now physicians have access this database that they are required to query before they prescribe an opioid medication to make sure that patient doesn’t have drugs from someone else or if they are doing doctor shopping or there isn’t a pattern that they are at risk for addiction,” said Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick (R) Georgia State Senator, Cobb County District.
Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr says despite the pandemic, gang violence and drug crimes did not go down and tackling the opioid epidemic is the first step to solve this larger problem.
