Vern Buchanan Cheers New State Drug Database

Thursday marks the start of Floridas prescription drug database which will require any release of controlled substances to be reported to the state within a week.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan has introduced the Pill Mill Crackdown Act in Congress and cheered the new program in the Sunshine State.

Today, Florida takes an important step toward combating the prescription drug epidemic that claims seven lives a day in our state, said Buchanan on Thursday.The days of doctor shopping and overprescribing must come to an end.Now, more than ever, we need to shut down these 'pill mills' that bring untold misery to our children, our families, and our communities.

Many of these so-called pain clinics are nothing more than drug dealers posing as doctors and health providers, added Buchanan, who has left the door open to running for the U.S. Senate in 2012. They need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly and those who are making money off the death and suffering of their victims should be sent to prison.