(St. Petersburg, FL) Legislators unanimously passed much needed legislation to crack down on “pill mills.” SB 2272, known as the Pill Mill Bill, will increase regulations for pain clinics and for physicians that own and operate them. More importantly, the bill will provide for criminal and financial penalties for those in violation of the new law.

 

Florida has redefined pain management and not in a good way. Current laws allow pill mills to lure in patients by offering free gas cards and two-for-one or half price prescription specials. Current law also allows clinics to be owned by investors rather than doctors and allows physicians who have been disciplined for overprescribing maintain their employment. This sounds more like drug dealing than pain management.

 “Florida has suffered the consequences of not having such regulations in place,” says Calvina Fay, executive director of Save Our Society From Drugs. “Communities throughout Florida have witnessed the devastating effects of prescription drug abuse and voiced their concern over this epidemic. Tallahassee heard our cry and worked hard this session to take major steps in passing legislation that will help curb this epidemic.”

The growth and previous lack of supervision of pill mills has significantly contributed to Florida’s prescription drug abuse epidemic. More than 4,000 Floridians died in 2008 from prescription drug overdoses. 376 of those deaths were in Pinellas County; that equates to a death a day, and according to the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office, an upcoming tally should document more than 400 deaths in 2009!

If you would like to set up an interview about this issue with Calvina Fay, please contact Lana Beck at (727) 828-0211 or (727) 403-7571.

 

Save Our Society From Drugs (S.O.S.) is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida and has over ten years of experience in monitoring and making policy recommendations on drug policy issues including those pertaining prescription drug monitoring programs. S.O.S. takes a comprehensive approach to promote sound drug policy that includes education, prevention, abstinence-based treatment, scientific research, and community awareness. For more discussion please visit our blog at www.saveoursociety.org