Missouri agency seeks more investigators for opioid program

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A budget proposal to fund two additional investigators for a statewide prescription drug monitoring program is in limbo as some Missouri state senators still oppose the effort to respond to an increase in drug overdose deaths in the state.

Missouri remains the only state in the nation without a program that allows doctors or pharmacists to track a patient's prescription history, despite being among the 20 worst states for drug overdose deaths.

A program created last year by Republican Gov. Eric Greitens allows the state to track physicians' and pharmacists' prescription habits, but critics say it doesn't give doctors the tools need to prevent over-prescribing drugs.