The Massachusetts OxyContin Commission recommended stricter monitoring of patients who misuse addictive painkillers and doctors who irresponsibly prescribe them, the Boston Globe reported on July 14.

Patients who fill multiple prescriptions at multiple locations, and the doctors and pharmacists suspected of providing them with the medication, need to be tracked more closely, according to the recommendations.

The 11-member OxyContin Commission, formed in 2004 by the state legislature, also called for parent and teacher education, safer storage of prescription medication, a statewide disposal program for unused pills and better cooperation among state and local officials and regulators.

"There has been frustration by [regulators] and by law enforcement that this information is out there, but it hasn't been analyzed nor shared," said Koutoujian, a Democrat whose district covers Newton, Waltham, and Watertown." We know that other states are more actively utilizing this information, and Massachusetts needs to do this."

The number of opioid-related deaths each year in Massachusetts increased sixfold between 1990 and 2003.