CHICAGO - State Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) has passed legislation that would create an electronic record on opioid prescriptions to help track doctors who overprescribe and help stem the ongoing opioid epidemic.

“Too many people have tragically lost their lives to the opioid epidemic,” Jones said. “Tracking opioid prescriptions can help us identify areas where these drugs are entering our communities.”

The legislation would require opioid prescriptions to be sent electronically so that they can be recorded in the Prescription Monitoring Program. An exemption could be granted for prescribers who certify to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation that they will not issue more than 25 prescriptions per year.

The prescription information would have to be submitted by the end of the next business day after the date the opioid is dispensed.

“As a public safety and health care advocate, I will continue helping in the fight against the opioid epidemic,” Jones said. “We can’t rest until this problem is under control.”

House Bill 3596 passes unanimously.