( KTRS ) County Council members are considering a new prescription drug monitoring program for St. Charles County.

A public hearing was held Monday night to discuss creating a new measure that would allow the County to operate a program, parallel to similar programs in St. Louis city and county, designed to prevent drug abuse.

Those prescribing and dispensing prescription drugs would become registered users of the new system. They would be required to provide information to the county department of health so people would not be able to collect multiple prescriptions.

Officials say it is in response to the abuse of opioids and heroin.