Bridgeport police say they have seen a drop in the illegal sale of prescription drugs since new state laws went into effect in January.

Investigators say the illicit sale of opioid painkillers like Oxycontin, Vicodin and Methadone have dropped during the first two months of 2018.

Police Chief AJ Perez credits the decrease to tough new regulations the state of Connecticut put into place Jan. 1, like allowing the drugs to be written by electronic prescription to reduce fraud and diversion.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal says the drop in the number of arrests for the illegal sale of narcotic painkillers is an early sign that the opioid epidemic is being treated effectively in Connecticut. 

"The Connecticut laws encourage less use of these powerful painkillers. That means less addiction and that means also the nation should learn a lesson from Connecticut," he says.

Perez says the official numbers documenting the decrease won't be released until April.