The Defense Department will conduct a feasibility study on the use of locking vials to prevent opioid pilfering and abuse in an effort to comply with a provision in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.
Safe RX said Thursday the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act also provides funds to state and local government agencies to research the impact of dispensing controlled substances in locking repositories.
The National Narcotics Officers Association, D.A.R.E. and the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse have urged Michael Botticelli, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, to persuade federal agencies to support the use of lockable containers for dispensing of controlled substances.
Safe RX president and CEO Milton Cohen said that locking prescription vials are projected to prevent drug abuse in as many as five million teenagers and return $56 billion to U.S. economy over a 10-year period.