New Florida “Pill Mill” Restrictions Delayed By Legislature

[The Straight Story]

New Florida “Pill Mill” Restrictions Delayed By Legislature
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 5:15 am

In their zeal to slow down government regulations, Florida legislators halted an effort to regulate so-called “pill mills” that fuel an epidemic of prescription drug abuse, says the Miami Herald. Regulations that were set to take effect Sunday for most pain clinics were stalled by a new law intended to crack down on expensive state regulations. The law requires legislative approval of rules that have a significant fiscal impact.

That means the regulations could be in limbo until next spring when the 2011 legislative session convenes. “I would like legislators to explain the fact that the drug epidemic continues to grow while they remain silent,” said Lynn Locascio, founder of Parents Against Prescription Drug Addiction. “We feel like we’re back to square one banging our heads against the wall.” Locascio’s son, Robert Palmisano, 26. has been clean from pills since 2006. Before that, he was one of hundreds of addicts who went from doctor to doctor to get their fix of pain meds such as Oxycodone. The new regulations provide basic standards for pain clinics, including how patients are evaluated and the physical specifications of offices. The rules also require unannounced inspections each year. Many clinics are currently unregulated because they don’t accept health insurance.

http://thecrimereport.org/2010/11/24/new-florida-pill-mill-restrictions-delayed-by-legislature/

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Too late to help Limbaugh. nt