Joe Palazzolo reports:
For years, police across the country have had little trouble gaining records of prescription drugs used by individuals they suspect of committing a crime. But some courts and legislators are starting to restrict the data, citing privacy concerns.
Law-enforcement officials say easy access to databases of prescriptions for controlled substances is crucial to curbing the illegal flow of prescription pills, which feed what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified as an epidemic of drug abuse.
But privacy advocates, defense lawyers and others say warrantless searches of these databases violate individuals’ privacy rights, and their arguments appear to be gaining ground.
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