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Scott: Hundreds, Including 17 Doctors, Arrested In Florida Pill Mill Crackdown
August 16, 2011
Gov. Rick Scott on Monday touted Florida’s efforts to shed its reputation as a pill-mill capital, pointing to 937 arrests since a law-enforcement “strike force” began working in March.
The strike force has arrested 17 doctors and seized 252,410 pharmaceutical pills during that time, Scott’s office said in a news release after the governor made an appearance in South Florida with Surgeon General Frank Farmer and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey.
“Florida law enforcement has launched a focused attack,” Bailey said in the news release. “We have major investigations open in every region of the state and we are systematically taking down pill mills, rounding up street traffickers, and putting over-prescribing doctors out of business.”
Florida has gained a deadly reputation in recent years as a magnet for prescription-drug abusers and traffickers. Notorious clinics in South Florida and other areas of the state have drawn people from as far away as Ohio and Kentucky.
State officials Monday also discussed a report that cited oxycodone as a cause of 1,516 deaths last year in Florida. That was most of any type of drug, according to the report, which used data from drug-related autopsies conducted by medical examiners.
By The News Service of Florida
Comments
21 Responses to “Scott: Hundreds, Including 17 Doctors, Arrested In Florida Pill Mill Crackdown”
With the Governor bragging how many doctors they have arrested in prescribing narcotics, what will they do about Pain Management Doctors? It’s stupid. If I sold a pistol with bullets to someone and he goes home and blows his wife’s head off, am I the blame for selling the pistol? Of course not. Doctors prescribe what they think is best for their patients, but they have absolutely no autority as to how the medicine is taken if it is abused. Drs. Smith were victims, just like the selling pistol principle.
No common sense applied here by the state of Florida.
REGARDING:
“This is to everyone out there who believe all doctors who prescribe narcotics should be shut down:”
That WOULD be an interesting attitude. Imagine giving a person the authority to write prescriptions for a particular pain killer and then taking away his license as soon as he used that authority.
I imagine the real fear is that some are writing prescriptions not remotely reasonably related to pain. I don’t use the stuff myself so I have no idea how bad it might become, but then I’m just in my late youth.
One thing I know for certain is that some people will lie to get what they want if lies are what it takes.
I’m reasonably certain most people don’t want others to have to suffer without need; they just aren’t sure what the need is.
David for perfect understanding
and a pain free world
@ Hawghead.. I agree there are other options out there for chronic pain suffers. I am one who has had a lower back fusion along with metal rods and screws placed in my back… that was 2 yrs ago. Last year I had a spinal stimulator placed in my back to help control pain.. but guess what it only takes away about 45 % of the pain away.. So therefore I also take pain medicine everyday. Surgeon told me I needed to be on disability.. But the combination of both I am able to work 40 hrs a week and carry on with my life and be almost normal again.
It is terrible that it is so hard for the one’s who need pain medicine and cant get it because of the idoits that abuse it.
@RB ….regarding “mandatory autopsies for anyone under age 50″…..i was somewhat surprised to hear that, as ive been associated w/deceased people on and off for over 30 yrs here in fla…ive just never heard that before…but, i looked up a good deal of info about florida medical examiners/autopsies at “volusia.org/medicalexaminer” and found alot of specific information, but nothing about florida requiring mandatory autopsies for anyone under age 50…are you sure your info is correct?
This is to everyone out there who believe all doctors who prescribe narcotics should be shut down: Walk a mile in MY shoes! No, take it back. I CAN’T walk that far anymore since my doctor has been shut down! A 92 yr. old man t-boned me when I was 29, over 20 years ago. I hate depending on meds but nothing else has worked. So what, you may say? I say there are people who need them and people who just want to get high. Since I actually NEED my meds, I don’t ABUSE them. It’s the ones who just want to get high that are causing the true pain sufferers to resort to other means. And it is mainly to THOSE people that I say this: SCREW YOU!
Here’s a thought-instead of just tracking a physician’s prescribing pattern, why aren’t we also tracking the people obtaining the drugs? Require them to provide a valid ID to obtain the drugs just like you are required to do when buying cold medications that contain drugs that are used for meth production. Track their purchasing habits via the same computer systems that are currently utilized to track the physicians. How many people do you know that go to multiple doctors for their drugs? Identify the abusers on both sides of the prescripton pads to truely appreciate the scope of the problem.
Turn out the lights, the partys over. Good for Gov Scott. He still gotta kill the septic tank extortion bill.
I hope the prisons have got plenty of room because all they have done is make a lot of people buy them from people that have stole them.
thank god they gona do something,my son in law died because of pills.he went as far as atlanta and the stupied doctor game him 90 oxcotton xanax among other pills.the dea got in on it and guess what he got a big fine and put him out of business.oh wow he should have been held responible.i slap on the hand for his death.its so sad but they are alot of people on pain pills that dont need them.some drs.just give them out just for the money like 250.00 for an office visit.like they dont make enough money as it is.what a shame,
I have two bad disks in my back, neck, and constant pain in my left hip from when a 16 year old decided my truck was in his way. I can’t qualify for MRIs until I have been on narcotics for over 30 days and done this and that. The 30 day narcotics is holding me back. Next month will be three years since the wreck and nothing has been “fixed” The system is very frustrating.
But what about seniors that need real medicine? Are the doctors just supposed to tell them that they dont think they need it ? If someone complains of severe pain should a doctor just tell them too bad?
At what point should a doctor deny someone the right to pain medication if they are suffering pain?
I see many lawsuits coming for this
To Waste:
What do you mean by: “What, no Limbaugh”?
Ron Paul wants to legalize and tax many drugs. That’s probably a good idea. As said, alcohol and nicotine as well as caffeine are all legal and can be addictive. Prisons are full of drug cases. Also, in this political climate, a corrupt police department can put somebody in jail just by planting drugs in their home. No victim needed.
In this country you have the right to drink yourself to death, to smoke yourself to death, but not take pain pills, sounds like bull to me….
There is going to be a crackdown nation wide I believe. As far as autopsies, it is a law in the state of FL that anyone that dies under the age of 50 an automatic autopsy is performed.
I recently went to a seminar class for my job and one speaker talked about prescription medications. The statistics are that more people die from RX drugs than from illegal “street” drugs. Three places that are the most prominent in the US for abuse of RX meds is Miami, Houston and southern CA.
Beginning Sept. 1st in TX, all doctors will have to report for any hard narcotics that they RX and they will have to prove the necessity.
I know of one patient that takes a lot of narcotics. He has been offered to have a spinal cord stimulator that would help with his pain and he would be able to be taken off most of the meds, but he has not acknolwledged the SCS to date. He is still months later “thinking about it”. Yeah, O.K.
It is also true that the more meds a person takes, the longer it takes them to heal.
Doctors have ignored peer reviews and required medical exams stating they disagree with these and that the patients do need the drugs and keep RX’ing them.
Hopefully something will be done that is going to save lives & keep medical costs down and help in keeping ins. premiums down for the ones who really need it.
the report from the florida medical examiners commission also stated that deaths from oxycodone in 2010 were up 22.4% from the oxycodone deaths in 2009…..keep in mind, that not everyone has an autopsy when they die…so, i would gather that the figure could actually be even higher….im glad that gov. scott acted decisively on this matter….im wondering if this big florida crackdown had any bearing on the recent event at the atmore hospital/doctor.
There are other options for those who suffer from cronic pain. But in most cases they get addicted to the pain meds and seek no other option but pills. It’s a sad never ending circle of destruction. If someone has to live on pain meds then they need to get help. Like I said there are other treatments available for chronic pain. There is surgery, nerve blocks, therapy and other option. But when you are addicted to the pills you will not try anything else but the pills….Sad story….
What, no Limbaugh?
I know a man who has broken his back 3 times. He lives with constant pain. He makes the drive to South Florida once a month to go to the doctor because the worker’s comp doctor released him and the most dr up here would give him was ibuprofen which does nothing for his pain. The poor guy is messed up, doesn’t walk straight anymore, back is twisted……and he was forced to go to S Florida to get something to help him. That’s messed up too.
You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Now they are going after the REAL CRIMINALS!! I recently saw a documentary on cable about these South Florida pill mills, and it really blew me away.. It is true that people are coming to Florida from all over the country, and lives are being wrecked as far away as Ohio and Massachussetts.. These places are cash only (just like on the street) and all you have to do is show up with the money and go home with your pills.. Keep up the good work Gov. Scott, because these places are not for people in real pain.. They are strictly in the narcotics business, and they are no better than dealers on the street!
Amazing! I had no idea it was this bad ! Good to get some of it stopped and I hope more gets stopped!