A group of Franklin County doctors is trying to fight prescription drug abuse by requiring that patients seeking pain drugs sign a contract.
The "narcotics contract" would require patients to undergo random urine testing and provide information about their medical care.
Dr. Edward Haak is the director of emergency medicine at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans. Haak says that could help find people seeking to abuse powerful pain drugs like OxyContin.
The move comes as the St. Albans area grapples with an opiate drug problem. Crime has increased and substance abuse counselors say the amount of people seeking drug treatment has doubled in the past year.