U.S. DEA: Florida 'Pill Mill' Crackdown Working

Florida's crackdown on pill mills has been working, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported.

A study released by the DEA concluded that since legislators approved a law at the end of the 2011 session that tightened reporting requirements for the prescription-drug monitoring database and increased penalties for doctors who overprescribe narcotics, the purchase of oxycodone has rapidly declined in Florida.

According to the report, the number of oxycodone pills purchased by Florida doctors has declined by 97 percent from 2010 to 2011.

Also, the number of Florida doctors appearing in the nationwide list of the top 100 oxycodone-purchasing physicians dropped from 90 in 2010 to only 13 in 2011.

Rep. Robert Schenck, R-Spring Hill, a sponsor of the bill that was a priority for Attorney General Pam Bondi, stated in a release he is pleased the law had been effective.

Florida was previously the nations capital for prescription-drug abuse, but, thanks to critical reform measures spearheaded by the Florida Legislature, prescription-drug abuse continues to fall, Schenck stated. For too long, the lives of Floridians have been stolen by bad actors who profit from prescription-drug abuse.