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New Jersey Officials Cracking Down On Abuse Of Pet Medication

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Where there is pain there is potential for that medication to get into the wrong hands.  So doctors have had the increased challenge in deciphering who may be seeking that medication for the wrong reasons--and in the current state of this epidemic so do veterinarians.

"We use narcotic type drugs and drugs that would be of interest for abuse I suppose typically for anesthesia and post-op," said Dr. Lee Spector, with Gray Fox Veterinary Center.

To curb the potential abuse of drugs meant for pets, the state is now seeking to better track these medications, including veterinarians in on New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program "NJPMP."

"If we have a suspicion that somebody is abusing the system they are trying to give us the mechanism by which we can find out whether this is happening," said Spector.

The system basically combines the names of owners and their pets to see how often certain medications are being obtained.

According to Dr.  Spector, the most common drug they supply to pet owners is to curb epilepsy and if given a reason or option, vets can turn to medication, that's just as effective for animals in pain but with less risk of owner abuse.

"Typically for pain, we are giving out anti-inflammatories no interest for people looking for recreational drugs," Spector said.

The acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs said in a statement that cases have been noted where people went as far as to harm their pets in order to get pain medication.

Dr. Spector said he has not encountered anything like this in his practice.

New Jersey's prescription monitoring system also shares info with several other states, including Pennsylvania.

 

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