Opioid prescriptions dropping in Delaware as state monitors doctors

Opioid prescriptions in Delaware continue to fall. The state says there were 14 percent fewer prescriptions written during the first quarter of this year compared with 2017. The drops come after new legislation took effect last April to more closely monitor the amount of painkillers prescribed by doctors. Officials say fewer prescriptions means fewer pills dispensed, means fewer chances for Delawareans to become addicted to opioids. State lawmakers are considering other measures to combat the opioid epidemic, including requiring insurance to cover alternate pain management and new rules about co-prescribing opioids with other medications.