News / Education
Florida Prescription Drug Epidemic
South Florida has become the largest supplier of illegal prescriptions drugs in the country
South Florida has become the largest supplier of illegal prescriptions drugs in the country. The number of pain clinics and doctor's willing to prescribe these medications has made the area the logical choice for traffickers and drug addicts looking to obtain prescription drugs including powerful painkillers.
According to an article in the Sun-Sentinel one pharmacy saw a 20% reduction in sales when they began requiring local ID's in order to fill prescriptions.
Not all the pharmacies are cooperating, however. Some pharmacies have hired bouncers and lookouts in order to alert the owners of the stores to investigators.
"A lot of the mom-and-pop pharmacies, the only way they're surviving is by putting out oxycodone," according Broward Sheriff's Office Sgt. Richard Pisanti.
This requirement does not stop all the traffickers. It is simple to go to the Florida DMV and get a local ID card made the same day.
The first step to a final solution will be to maintain a database of pill traffickers which will alert local pharmacies when they try to fill prescriptions. Similar systems put in place in other states have shown success in stopping all but the most determined traffickers.
Statistics show an alarming problem facing America. Prescription drug abuse which has held steady over the past five years according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, with nearly one in five teens (19 percent) abusing prescription medications to get high.
In an interview on the CBS Early Show National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske said, "The issue of prescription drug abuse, which the Office of National Drug Control Policy has been shouting about from the rooftops, is a significant problem in this country."
Narconon of Georgia provides effective drug rehab for those suffering from prescription drug abuse.
