House members have passed a bill to make Missouri the last state to adopt a prescription drug monitoring program.
Lawmakers voted 102-54 Monday to create a database to track prescription drugs. The bill now heads to the Senate.
Under Republican Rep. Holly Rehder's proposal, doctors and pharmacists could see when patients are prescribed and receive medications.
Rehder says the goal is to help prevent addictions and block doctor shopping, when patients go from doctor to doctor for prescriptions.
Opponents in Missouri have long cited privacy concerns with a database of patient prescriptions.
Republican Rep. Keith Frederick during floor debate also questioned how effective monitoring programs are and said more money should be spent on drug treatment. Frederick is an orthopedic surgeon and has worked as a pharmacist.
