The Pursuit of Pain Pills

As laws change, so does the pursuit of controlled painkillers. Law enforcement in Florida have crack downed on so called “pill mills” or pain clinics where prior to last year, doctors could prescribe and fill prescriptions for their patients so they would not have to go to a pharmacy.

A USA Today article references statistics dealing with the problems that are associated with pain clinics in the Sunshine State. The statistics for prescription painkillers distributed within the state has decreased as regulations have been tightened.

Physicians in these clinics had the ability to prescribe high-powered pain medication to their clientele. Now that Florida does not allow these services, patients are forced to cross state lines to obtain prescriptions for such drugs as oxycodone and hydrocodone that were once readily available.

Prior to opening a pharmacy, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) must approve the application before the owner can receive their business license. Agents saw an increase in applications for fly-by-night pharmacies to be able to fill prescriptions for these types of drugs. After background checks, individuals who applied for licenses to open these pharmacies often ended up withdrawing their application.

Officials also saw a significant drop in the number of doctors who purchased oxycodone in the state of Florida after the change in regulation.

The change in legislation which may prove helpful to states that now crackdown on pill mills, but for border states that have no such laws, law enforcement there can expect heightened problems when it comes to obtaining these highly sought after pain meds.