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Republicans in the Iowa House are backing a special kind of prescription painkiller they say will help cut down on opioid abuse. GOP lawmakers have introduced a bill to encourage the use of tamper-proof pills for doctors to prescribe for patients likely to abuse. (Russell, 2/3)

In a bill advanced by a House subcommittee Tuesday, doctors and other prescribers would be required to check the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program before writing a prescription for opioid painkillers for longer than two weeks. House Bill 293 is aimed at curbing overprescribing of drugs such as oxycodone and stemming an alarming rise in prescription opioid and heroin overdose deaths across the state and nation. (Smith, 2/3)