At Tampa ceremony, Gov. Scott touts 'pill mill' legislation

Vowing to end Florida's reputation as the "Pill Mill Capital" of the nation, Gov. Rick Scott has signed a bill that cracks down on the illegal distribution of prescription painkillers.

Scott signed the bill in Fort Lauderdale this morning, but in a symbolic gesture, made a stop in Tampa a few hours later to place his signature on a second copy of the legislation. Scott will also visit Orlando for a third signing ceremony.

"This is a very important piece of legislation that I believe will save many lives in our state and across the country," Scott said at the Tampa news conference attended by Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee, Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor and other law enforcement officials and lawmakers.

Florida is considered the epicenter of prescription drug abuse, with illicit pain management clinics supplying drug dealers and addicts with pills. Many of these people come from other states.

Law enforcement agencies say Tampa and parts of South Florida are hubs for so-called "pill mills," which dole out massive doses of opiate-based drugs such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. Scott said that 98 of the nation's top 100 oxycodone-purchasing physicians are in Florida.

The bill establishes standards of care for doctors who prescribe narcotics, requires them to register with the state Department of Health and bans doctors from dispensing the most abused narcotics.

Penalties against doctors who overprescribe pills have been toughened, with a minimum $10,000 fine and six-month suspensions.

"This legislation will save lives in our state and it marks the beginning of the end of Florida's infamous role as the nation's Pill Mill Capital," Scott said.

Scott originally opposed the prescription database, calling it a waste of money and an invasion of privacy. But Attorney General Pam Bondi and several GOP legislators pushed for the system.

The newly-signed bill also establishes standards of care for doctors who prescribe narcotics, requires them to register with the Department of Health, and bans doctors from dispensing the most abused narcotics.

House Bill 7095 was unanimously approved May 6 by both the Senate and House of Representatives.

The Obama administration last month announced that the federal government will aim to cut the abuse of oxycodone and other opioids by 15 percent in five years through education, stepped-up law enforcement and pill-tracking databases.

When used properly, OxyContin — oxycodone's trade name — and similar medications help people deal with chronic pain, slowly releasing key ingredients over many hours. Abusers crush the pills and sniff or inject them, resulting in a euphoric heroin-like high.

According to the state, more than 2,500 people — seven a day— die in Florida from painkiller abuse. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths from painkillers have risen from less than 4,000 in 2000 to more than 11,000 in 2007, the most recent statistics available.

Here is what HB 7095 does to combat illicit painkiller distribution:

•Creates a prescription-drug monitoring database but bars pharmaceutical companies from funding it. Bondi last month announced that a group of local law enforcement agencies had agreed to pay for the database out of their forfeiture funds. It should be up and running by Aug. 28.

•Makes clinics keep track of which patients they prescribe drugs to and if any of them develop drug-abuse problems.

•Makes it a first-degree misdemeanor if a pharmacist "knowingly fails" to tell local police if someone tried to fraudulently get drugs.

•Tells drug wholesalers to police themselves and alert state police if clinics appear to buy more than they need.

•Tightens rules for the writing of prescriptions, medical records and pain-treatment plans.

•Tightens rules to get a permit to open and run a pharmacy and pharmacy record-keeping rules.

•Requires certain pain-management clinics to register with the state and orders doctors to tell the state when they begin and stop working at such a clinic.

•Creates signage rules and other requirements, including that the clinics must have restrooms and waiting areas, be "structurally sound" and have at least one employee on duty trained in basic life support.

•Allows law enforcement to look at or copy clinic records without a search warrant.