Conway Disappointed Over Prescription Drug Bill Failure

In a statement, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway expressed disappointment with state lawmakers for failing to pass legislation to combat prescription drug abuse.The initial proposal required doctors to use KASPER, which is the state's prescription monitoring system set up to crack down on "pill mill" operators. It also required that pain management clinics be owned by physicians licensed in Kentucky.But Conway says the law that came out a House-Senate conference report has been "watered down" by lobbyists for the medical community and the original bill pushed by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, should be passed."For the many families devastated by this scourge, I hope that the General Assembly, and the Senate in particular, will act in good faith to represent the larger public interest and not let special interests write the prescription drug legislation," he says. "In the Office of the Attorney General, we pledge to act in good faith to ensure that legislation passed by the General Assembly works fairly and effectively."Beshear has called for a special session to begin next Monday.