Despite a 2009 study by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that said that seven people die each day because of prescription drug abuse, incoming Governor Rick Scott does not believe the Office of Drug Control is a necessity.
This week, Scott's team told all four full-time employees of the Office of Drug Control that they will be out of jobs after Scott's inauguration in January. The office's director, Bruce Grant, saied the elimination of the four jobs will only save the taxpayers less than half a million dollars.
"We've got a heck of a problem in this state with drugs," said Grant. "And it's not going to be over any time soon. What you're saying by getting rid of this office is that it's not a priority. And that's a mistake. Because it is a priority. We all have been connected to somebody with asubstance abuse problem, and we all know how devastating it can be for a family and for our economy."
The Office of Drug Control was created in 1999 by Governor Jeb Bush. The Office of Drug Control has secured grant funding and donations to pay for Florida's prescription drug monitoring program. Many involved in the fight against prescription drug abuse and other substance abuse will stop if the Office of Drug Control is permanently eliminated.
"This issue is not a law issue. It's not a health issue. It's an issue that incorporates all those areas. It's a complex issue and needs an integrated, coordinated solution," said Lora Brown, M.D., a pain management physician who has been involved in the task force that created the prescription monitoring program. "I'm very disappointed in the fact that this office has been dissolved. My concern is this issue is not going to get the attention it needs."
