Over the course of three years, one Oregonian was able to fill 290 prescriptions for Hydrocodone, a highly addictive opioid. According to a recent state investigation, this anonymous person obtained the prescriptions from 232 different prescribers, and 74 different pharmacies filled them.

This person demonstrated an extreme case of over-access to opioids. But, according to an audit released Tuesday by Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s office, this person's story is indicative of a much wider-reaching problem in Oregon: The state's attempts to control the over-prescription of opioids isn't working.

The audit focused on the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), which collects data that ostensibly should prevent doctors from over-prescribing the drugs, and prevent patients from obtaining multiple different prescriptions at one time.

But Oregon has strict privacy laws that prevent the PDMP from doing what it was designed to do. In fact, Oregon is one of just nine states in the country that do not require doctors and pharmacists to check the PDMP before handing out opioid prescriptions—making it easier for those who are addicted to opioids to slip through the cracks.

And these bureaucratic inadequacies have a strong real-world impact: Though opioid-related deaths in Oregon have dipped in recent years, the state has the highest rate of seniors hospitalized for opioid-related issues. We also have the worst pain relive abuse rate among our neighbors; California, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, and Colorado are all doing a better job at easing this epidemic.

The audit concludes that although the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is doing the best it can to manage PDMP under current law, the situation could be improved if state laws change. In addition to requiring prescribers to check the PDMP preemptively, the law could also be changed to allow the PDMP to produce prescriber report cards evaluating doctors and pharmacists. Such a measure, already in place in other states, would help catch doctors who tend to over-prescribe opioids.

“Many opioid deaths are preventable, but OHA is trying to fight this crisis with one hand tied behind its back,” said Richardson in a press release about the audit. “Oregon should learn from the experiences of other states and follow the best practices being successfully implemented across the nation. This audit identifies solutions to save lives and money.”