A report by the Center for Disease Control highlights some of the efforts Florida’s made to lessen the state’s image as the “Pill Mill Capital of the Country.”
Since she first took office, Attorney General Pam Bondi has made combatting prescription drug abuse a priority, after 98 of the top 100 Oxycodone dispensing doctors were found to be residing in the state.
“During the period of 2003 to 2009, the number of deaths caused by drug overdose in Florida increased by 61 percent,” said Meale. “Florida had been on an upward trend of prescription drug related deaths for nearly a decade.”
And, her spokeswoman Jenn Meale says now, none of the top dispensing doctors reside in Florida, after Bondi worked with law enforcement and state lawmakers to crackdown on pill mills—also highlighted in a recent CDC report.
“The report that the CDC released actually points to Florida specifically as possibly even a model for other states throughout the country, who are facing prescription drug abuse,” she added. “They pointed out that due to tougher regulations, shutting down pill mills, and law enforcement efforts, the actual number of deaths related to prescription drug overdoses has decreased by 23.2 percent.”
Still, the report listed about five limitations, including stating that they were not able to assess the potential unintended consequences for reducing the access to pain meds for legitimate problems.
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