Year-old Pill Mill Task Force Cutting into Oxy-Express

State leaders on Wednesday hailed the work of Floridas Drug Enforcement Strike Force teams for putting a dent in the prescription-drug abuse that had exploded through the distribution of pain drugs from clinics dubbed "pill mills."

But in a media conference in the state Cabinet meeting room, Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey said more work is still needed.

Were fighting it from all fronts, Bondi said.

The task force was created a year ago to show the state and nation that Florida would no longer tolerate pill mills that attracted traffic from states such as Ohio and Tennessee to acquire prescription pain killers from pharmacies.

In 2010, 90 of the nations top 100 Oxycodone-purchasing doctors and 53 of the nations top 100 Oxycodone-purchasing pharmacies were located in Florida. Since that time, law enforcement in Florida has made 2,150 arrests -- including 34 doctors -- and seized 59 vehicles, 391 weapons and $4.7 million.

The number of pain clinics has been reduced from800 to 508.

These teams are accomplishing exactly what they were created for by targeting the prescription drug abuse problem at its source -- the pill mills, pain clinics and unscrupulous doctors that contribute to the illegal distribution of legal prescription drugs, Scott stated.