SECTION 1. Chapter 38 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following, which shall constitute section 16 of said chapter:-

Section 16. (a) The chief medical examiner shall file an adverse event report with the United States Food and Drug Administration any time the determined cause of death of an individual was due fully or in part to the ingestion of a Schedule II through VI controlled substance according to regulations promulgated by the Department of Public Health.  This report shall also be sent to the commissioner of the department of public health.

SECTION 2.  Section 24A of chapter 94C of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following new subsection:-

(l) Upon receiving a report of an overdose-related death from the chief medical examiner pursuant to section 16 of chapter 38 of the General Laws, the department shall investigate the prescription monitoring program record of the deceased individual.  In the annual report required by subsection (k) of this section, the department shall present information on any trends discovered through investigation of the prescription monitoring program records of individuals having suffered a fatal overdose in the preceding year, to include any indication of multiple deaths associated with a single prescriber.