Narconon News

Florida has recently earned a new nickname, replacing its well-used “Sunshine State” with “The Oxy Express,” due to the exorbitant rate of oxycodone sales which occur in the state. An estimated 89% of all of the nation’s oxycodone sales actually take place in Florida, and finally the legislature and Governor Scott have agreed to take action. The law, passed and signed by the Governor in June 2011, provides for a drug-monitoring data base to track sales of all controlled drugs, and also cracks down on the dishonest doctors, pharmacies and pill mills who earned the state its new nickname.

Perhaps as an effort to keep the pharmaceutical industry from interfering in its enforcement, the law prohibits the pharmacy industry from funding the drug monitoring system. This new system is to be funded by local law enforcement agencies.

Right after passage of the bill, two Orlando clinics were raided by federal authorities as part of a larger pill mill investigation. According to investigators, one of the Orlando doctors wrote prescriptions for more oxycodone than had been written in the entire state of California.

Here are some of the provisions of the new Florida law:

It creates a prescription-drug monitoring database that tracks the purchase of all controlled drugs.
It forces clinics to keep actual track of patients who receive prescriptions and to report them if they develop drug-abuse problems.

It provides minimum fines of $10,000 and six-month suspensions for doctors who overprescribe painkillers.

It creates a first-degree misdemeanor offense for a pharmacist who fails to report anyone who tries to fraudulently obtain drugs.

It tightens the rules for writing prescriptions, keeping medical records and written pain treatment plans.

There are several more provisions in the law, but overall, its purpose is to crack down on the wrongful and far too common practice of over-prescribing opioid prescription painkillers, and to curtail or stop the clinics which go into business simply to supply illegal drugs to patients who are addicted to these painkillers for the “high” rather than for any legitimate medically mandated use.

It took several years to pass the database. Efforts by proponents were repeatedly limited by legal challenges and lobbying over privacy rights. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, and State House Republican leaders opposed the creation of the database, saying it raised too many privacy concerns and that it was not the most effective way to curb the problem.

The real problem of course, is to curtail the demand for such pain clinics, and the drugs they so willingly dispense. In order to do that, one has to address the drug problem more completely including treatment for those who are addicted to these and other drugs. When one is suffering from addiction to any drugs, and particularly the opioid, heroin-like painkillers, it is a huge challenge to both the drug addict and the families of drug addicts to get the person clean and sober again.

Narconon has been effectively treating drug addicts for over 45 years in 50 countries around the world. They have even started to train other drug rehab programs in their drug-free withdrawal methods, in what is termed the “First Step Program.” This program also allows for families to follow guidelines of a regime of withdrawal that can be done at home by anyone that can follow the instructions of the program.

If you need help with drug addiction, contact a Narconon rehab center today. We are here for you.

Wall Street Journal “Florida Governor Signs Bill Regulating Pill Mills” June 3, 2011

The New York Times “Florida Shutting Pill Mill Clinics” September 1, 2011.