STATE HOUSE — Hours of backroom deliberations resulted in an agreement in the Senate Thursday that would permit pharmacists to dispense a lesser amount than prescribed of a schedule II prescription drug, a category that includes the most dangerous painkillers.
The provision was included in a Senate bill (S 2020) aimed at preventing substance abuse and curbing the scourge of heroin and other opiates, which the Department of Public Health blamed for 1,256 accidental deaths last year in a state of 6.7 million people.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia's launch of airstrikes in Syria is prompting discussions within the Pentagon about whether the U.S. should use military force to protect U.S.-trained and equipped Syrian rebels if they come under fire by the Russians.
U.S. officials said Thursday that senior military leaders and defense officials are working through the thorny legal and foreign policy issues and are weighing the risks of using force in response to a Russian attack.
