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Gov. Scott's Opioid Measure Filed In FL House

DXR via wikimedia commons

Florida Governor Rick Scott’s response to the state’s opioid crisis is taking shape in the House.

Bradenton Republican Jim Boyd will carry the Governor’s proposal in the House.  Lizbeth Benacquisto, a Republican from Ft. Meyers will be backing the Senate version of the bill. 

The measure places a three day prescribing limit on opioids unless the doctor deems further treatment medically necessary.  The proposal also requires prescribers use the prescription drug monitoring program.  The database has been around since the pill mill epidemic, but there’s nothing mandating doctors use it.   

The governor is also calling for 50 million dollars for treatment and enforcement—27 million of it coming from a federal grant.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.