Drug users in Florida are dying of pill overdoses at a rate of seven per day as measures aimed at curbing crooked pain clinics are held up in a thicket of delays and setbacks.
After the Legislature last year passed the toughest restrictions yet for pain clinics, here's what was supposed to happened: The state boards of medicine and osteopathic medicine were to hammer out tough new rules for clinics, complete with penalties.
Those rules, combined with a prescription drug monitoring program that would come online Dec. 1, 2010, would staunch the flow of oxycodone painkillers and other powerful drugs from storefront clinics to junkies and multistate drug traffickers.
Here's what actually happened: In a special session on Nov. 16, lawmakers overrode a veto and revived a bill that effectively quashed state agencies' ability to make rules.
Although the state Board of Osteopathic Medicine, which oversees doctors with osteopathic degrees, finalized rules before the veto override, the move shelved pain clinic standards of another medical panel, the Board of Medicine, nine days before they were to take effect.
Now, standards for physicians with doctor of medicine degrees have to wait for the Legislature's approval during the next regular session.
Adding to the uncertainty, Gov. Rick Scott's first executive order, signed the day of his inauguration, "freezes all new regulations" and creates an accountability office to review rules before they're enacted, possibly requiring pain clinic rules to jump another hurdle.
"I hope and expect that the new governor's office, when they say they want the most favorable climate in the world for business, that they're talking about legitimate businesses," said Palm Beach County State Attorney Michael McAuliffe. "These aren't legitimate businesses, and that's the heart of the matter. They haven't been regulated, and they've mushroomed in our communities.
"It is a little frustrating from my position as state attorney, because it looked like we were poised to make some progress," McAuliffe added. "And whether this was a pause or a pushback, I'm not sure."
A spokeswoman for the governor said she was gathering information about the executive order's impact on pain clinic regulation.
As the Florida Department of Health remains powerless to go after medical doctors who are breaking the new standards, a prescription-tracking system that would serve as a powerful weapon against doctor-shoppers and corrupt physicians has yet to materialize.
A law passed in 2008 said Florida's prescription drug monitoring program would grind into gear by last month, but an Ohio company's repeated protests over a contract to run the program have postponed the database at least until spring.
With these measures pending, lawmakers no longer can turn to the state office that led anti-pain clinic efforts and helped focus the Legislature's attention on pain clinics. Scott eliminated the Florida Office of Drug Control before he was sworn in.
"They played a key role, really, in hitting the streets, or the hallways, I should say, and going from office to office, meeting with people and answering questions," said Greg Giordano, chief legislative assistant to state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, who sponsored last year's pain-clinic bill. "I think the loss of that office, I think it will have an impact on the legislation that the senator's going to work on in the future."
Taken as a whole, the setbacks and obstacles are preventing Florida from carrying out what its own lawmakers have branded a critical duty: stamping out prescription drug-dealing and abuse.
Although frustrated by holdups, Dave Aronberg, newly appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to head her office's anti-pain clinic initiative, said the state still is making progress.
"I try to focus on the positive, and I do think there's reason for optimism in 2011," said Aronberg, a former state senator who last year mounted an unsuccessful bid for attorney general. "Once the rules are in place, we're going to aggressively enforce the rules."
Until that happens, and until the prescription monitoring program is up and running, the body count in Florida will continue to rise, said state officials and investigators.
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement report published in December showed deaths caused by oxycodone in the first six months of 2010 were up 25.5 percent compared with the same period in 2009.
At least 1,200 pain clinics were operating statewide, and at least 122 clinics were doing business in Palm Beach County, state records show.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Capt. Karl Durr, who heads a county task force assembled to target prescription drug traffickers, said his detectives were watching pain clinics react to existing rules.
"We're not seeing a change in the amount of pills in the street. It's still out there. These people are morphing their businesses to try to get around regulation," Durr said. "We're not seeing the problem going away. We're still here at ground zero."
I saw in the news this week that the amount of Tylenol mixed into opiate pain pills will be limited to 325 mg. They used to come with 500 mg. and maybe more.
I assume they finally acknowledge that a large percentage of opiate based pain pills are abused and taken in doses much larger than prescribed.
Of course, this results in ingestion of large amounts of Tylenol and resulting damage to your liver.
Given the widespread misuse of pain pills, I think ALL tylenol should be removed from pain pill formulations!
I assume they finally acknowledge that a large percentage of opiate based pain pills are abused and taken in doses much larger than prescribed.
Of course, this results in ingestion of large amounts of Tylenol and resulting damage to your liver.
Given the widespread misuse of pain pills, I think ALL tylenol should be removed from pain pill formulations!
I don't know where to go with this one. We have too many laws already, and it seems to me that this 'war on drugs' does nothing to help addicts or the flow of drugs or anything. Pharmaceutical companies keep coming out with more expensive crap that does the same thing - but is more expensive.
I'm not a conspiracy nut, but if u even peek at who profits from drug laws and who looses u know something is rotten in Denmark.
Consciousless pushers, Drs, judges , clinics, lawers, prisons, rehab centers, the alcohal industry, criminals and on and on.
In NY, they have a 'triplicate script system' begining with oxycocone or above, valium & other things. 1 copy is registered with the state, the pharmacy the Dr & who the hell else I don't know. This results in some Dr's being unwilling to give people the proper medication they need for pain out of fear of investigation or just out of laziness. The most obscene rumor I heard , or read, was this Dr would not give a dying cancer patient enough narcotics for his pain because he might get addicted. At first blush that sounds impossibly ludicrous- can't be true. But I am aware of so much nonsense surrounding this whole drug thing that I find it believable.
I have not verified this and I don't know how to, but I was told that all the oxycodone prescribed in the US does not even come close to the massive amounts that are available. They are counterfited in places like our good friend China.
Statistics and numbers are twisted around to make good news articles. I would like to know the source of "7 people die each day in Florida from pain pills." That is more then 2,555 a year from overdoses of (implied) prescribed pain pills." Maybe that is right, but I'd sure like to know the source, what it is based on, how many are suicides, how many are people simply dying, how many are primarly alcohal, etc etc etc.
I am not saying something should not be done- but new legislation is rarely productive.
I'm not a conspiracy nut, but if u even peek at who profits from drug laws and who looses u know something is rotten in Denmark.
Consciousless pushers, Drs, judges , clinics, lawers, prisons, rehab centers, the alcohal industry, criminals and on and on.
In NY, they have a 'triplicate script system' begining with oxycocone or above, valium & other things. 1 copy is registered with the state, the pharmacy the Dr & who the hell else I don't know. This results in some Dr's being unwilling to give people the proper medication they need for pain out of fear of investigation or just out of laziness. The most obscene rumor I heard , or read, was this Dr would not give a dying cancer patient enough narcotics for his pain because he might get addicted. At first blush that sounds impossibly ludicrous- can't be true. But I am aware of so much nonsense surrounding this whole drug thing that I find it believable.
I have not verified this and I don't know how to, but I was told that all the oxycodone prescribed in the US does not even come close to the massive amounts that are available. They are counterfited in places like our good friend China.
Statistics and numbers are twisted around to make good news articles. I would like to know the source of "7 people die each day in Florida from pain pills." That is more then 2,555 a year from overdoses of (implied) prescribed pain pills." Maybe that is right, but I'd sure like to know the source, what it is based on, how many are suicides, how many are people simply dying, how many are primarly alcohal, etc etc etc.
I am not saying something should not be done- but new legislation is rarely productive.
I read this stuff and there are articles like this about different drugs all over the country, and in the simplest of terms it always seems the same...Remove the clinic, remove the dealers, make new laws for doctor prescribing, make new accounting laws on certain scripts...
I was in the doctors the other day reading the poster about which pills would only be considered for refill in office....well damn shouldn't it have always been this way, if you are taking any medication because of a chronic condition shouldn't your doctor see you on some kind of a regular basis and check you out????
Now this does piss me off in a few different ways...
One I wonder do those who visit places like this really think it is legit...come on now....the Oxycotin Express showed nicely that those who visit are there for a reason, and that many travel from MI, OH, PA....really now they drive a 1000 plus miles cause they are sick and can't find a doctor where they live....hmmmm .... this is a free ride to some scripts.
Another thing that gets me going involves more where I am...people die, there is a public outcry, everyone gets up in arms, starts blaming whomever is easiest....they do that clean sweep of the streets like in Camden and yet now you leave lots of people in wd, sick, desperate...and I wonder when someone might go in and offer someone more than shutting it down. I wonder when they might get together and realize that in the long term this does not solve a problem just shifts it. I don't see any of this ever to be a help to an addict because surely those using aren't complaining, their families may be, the neighbors who live close to clinics or open air drugs markets might be...There is also no talk if actions like this even stop anyone from using and if they go into any recovery program.
Maybe one day they will see this war has failed, give it up and find an approach that offers a real life solution to the problem. Maybe something as simple as going in with an open air chat...people who are willing to go and talk, no judgment, no enabling, no need to OMG save or do that gloom and doom trip ... just to go in and listen to the stories, cause there surely are thousands of them, offer real life services for those who want it and not shut out those who don't taking the money they would spend on shut downs and regulations, clean sweeps and put it into detox, rehab, mental health services, life and job skill services, basic educational services....
Sorry a bit long winded but I argue this all the time with families outraged...And it isn't that I am without compassion and I do get it, I lost those I loved to drugs but nothing like shut downs or clean sweeps ever seems to solve much....it is like putting bubble gum on a leaking damn...
I was in the doctors the other day reading the poster about which pills would only be considered for refill in office....well damn shouldn't it have always been this way, if you are taking any medication because of a chronic condition shouldn't your doctor see you on some kind of a regular basis and check you out????
Now this does piss me off in a few different ways...
One I wonder do those who visit places like this really think it is legit...come on now....the Oxycotin Express showed nicely that those who visit are there for a reason, and that many travel from MI, OH, PA....really now they drive a 1000 plus miles cause they are sick and can't find a doctor where they live....hmmmm .... this is a free ride to some scripts.
Another thing that gets me going involves more where I am...people die, there is a public outcry, everyone gets up in arms, starts blaming whomever is easiest....they do that clean sweep of the streets like in Camden and yet now you leave lots of people in wd, sick, desperate...and I wonder when someone might go in and offer someone more than shutting it down. I wonder when they might get together and realize that in the long term this does not solve a problem just shifts it. I don't see any of this ever to be a help to an addict because surely those using aren't complaining, their families may be, the neighbors who live close to clinics or open air drugs markets might be...There is also no talk if actions like this even stop anyone from using and if they go into any recovery program.
Maybe one day they will see this war has failed, give it up and find an approach that offers a real life solution to the problem. Maybe something as simple as going in with an open air chat...people who are willing to go and talk, no judgment, no enabling, no need to OMG save or do that gloom and doom trip ... just to go in and listen to the stories, cause there surely are thousands of them, offer real life services for those who want it and not shut out those who don't taking the money they would spend on shut downs and regulations, clean sweeps and put it into detox, rehab, mental health services, life and job skill services, basic educational services....
Sorry a bit long winded but I argue this all the time with families outraged...And it isn't that I am without compassion and I do get it, I lost those I loved to drugs but nothing like shut downs or clean sweeps ever seems to solve much....it is like putting bubble gum on a leaking damn...
Misty,
Good comment, u are on the money. I heard all kinds of different statistics and they are manipulated so anyone can make them say what they want, BUT ONE THING IS UNQUESTIONABLE-
Drug rehabilitation is way more effective (and cheaper) then incarceration. Some people will always use, and the prohibitive cost because they are illegal and there is so much profit creates genuine crime with genuine victems. Narcotics officers kill and die and bust and confiscate, but at the end of the day, many celebrate by going out and doing hard drugs that are legally served at the local bar.
Something needs to be done, but what is being done is way worse then doing nothing. This idiotic war on drugs has its routes in racism and greed. There is nothing 'American' about it.
There is nothing 'moral' about it, and someone would be hard pressed to justify it on Jewish or Christian religious values.
I am sick of people dying from drugs and the crime associated with it. But it is the ''war on drugs' that makes drug use far more deadly and tragic then it need be. If people where really honest with themselves and society, I don't think I would be that far off by suggesting more then half of America should have been incarcerated at one time or other (and thus have a criminal record) for illegal drug use. Think about it, how many times has someone gotten a darvon or a codiene pill from a co-worker or gramma or aunt Thelma, to get rid of a headache.
Why don't we just put a big electric fence around America and incarcerate everyone, except for the few guards who have never done anything wrong (then we can get our drugs from them)
Good comment, u are on the money. I heard all kinds of different statistics and they are manipulated so anyone can make them say what they want, BUT ONE THING IS UNQUESTIONABLE-
Drug rehabilitation is way more effective (and cheaper) then incarceration. Some people will always use, and the prohibitive cost because they are illegal and there is so much profit creates genuine crime with genuine victems. Narcotics officers kill and die and bust and confiscate, but at the end of the day, many celebrate by going out and doing hard drugs that are legally served at the local bar.
Something needs to be done, but what is being done is way worse then doing nothing. This idiotic war on drugs has its routes in racism and greed. There is nothing 'American' about it.
There is nothing 'moral' about it, and someone would be hard pressed to justify it on Jewish or Christian religious values.
I am sick of people dying from drugs and the crime associated with it. But it is the ''war on drugs' that makes drug use far more deadly and tragic then it need be. If people where really honest with themselves and society, I don't think I would be that far off by suggesting more then half of America should have been incarcerated at one time or other (and thus have a criminal record) for illegal drug use. Think about it, how many times has someone gotten a darvon or a codiene pill from a co-worker or gramma or aunt Thelma, to get rid of a headache.
Why don't we just put a big electric fence around America and incarcerate everyone, except for the few guards who have never done anything wrong (then we can get our drugs from them)
