SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation requiring California doctors to check a database before writing prescriptions for opioids, stimulants and other drugs with the potential for abuse. The Democratic governor announced his decision on Tuesday. The new law aims to crack down on a practice known as “doctor-shopping,” in which people visit multiple providers to obtain prescriptions for addictive drugs. Advocates say a mandatory check of a prescription database would identify patients getting drugs from other doctors and reduce the number of opioids in the marketplace. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 165,000 people died nationwide from prescription opioid overdoses from 1999 to 2014. An association of doctors opposed such a mandate for decades but did not fight the legislation after lawmakers provided additional funding to staff the program. 9 states to vote soon on expanding legal access to marijuana
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