Florida leads the nation in the number of lethal pills prescribed by unscrupulous doctors. So called pill mills, set up in store fronts, are overprescribing potent drugs such as oxycodone. Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi launched a crackdown on over prescribers, but new rules to help shut down the operations have been delayed.
Store fronts like this one, in just two counties, Palm Beach and Broward, prescribed nine million pills in one six month period last year, prompting Attorney General Pam Bondi to create a four point plan to shut the shysters down. “Our state has become the destination for distributors and abusers, and we have got to stop it”.
Bondi brought together law enforcement and prosecutors to urge cooperation. On the panel, a Palm Beach mother, Karen Perry, who’s college age son overdosed on otherwise legal pain killers. “A parent never gets over the loss of a child. You just don’t.”
A database designed to keep track of who is prescribing what has been mired in a lack of funding and a contract dispute. Prosecutors are also being hampered by a delay in implementing new Board of Medicine regulations. Those rules would make it easier to shut down over prescribers’
A new law says lawmakers must review the rules first. Special counsel Dave Aronberg says the lax rules have created what he calls drug tourism. “There are more pain clinics in Broward County then there are McDonald’s in Broward County. Same thing in Palm Beach County. It shows you the extent of this problem.”
There are 1167 licensed pain clinics in Florida, with many of them apparently dispensing more pain than pain relief.
An average of seven people per day die in Florida from overdosing on otherwise legal drugs. Police says 38 active investigations are underway. The new rules, as well as new legislation, are expected to be approved by May.
Medical News
-
Health workers strike at UC Calif. medical centers
Thousands of healthcare workers walked off the job at the University of California's five medical centers on Tuesday, delaying surgeries, diagnostic procedures, treatments and emergency care throughout the state. -
Vermont passes law allowing doctor-assisted suicide
Vermont on Monday became the fourth U.S. state to end legal penalties for doctors who prescribe medication to terminally ill patients seeking to end their own lives. -
'Uninsurables' at risk as states fear losing health aid
Thousands of people with serious medical problems are in danger of losing coverage under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul because of cost overruns, state officials say. -
Your kitchen isn't as clean as you think!
If you're a smoothie lover, take note. Eight spots in your kitchen -- including your blender -- may be alive with foodborne pathogens potent enough to sicken you and your family, a new study finds.
-
'Rapid strides': Advances offer hope for amputees
It will be weeks, at least, before Celeste Corcoran is anywhere near ready to think about artificial limbs. The 47-year-old Lowell, Mass.
-
Report questioning salt guidelines riles heart experts
An unusual medical brawl erupted on Tuesday when the influential Institute of Medicine issued a report questioning the basis of years of advice for Americans to cut their salt intake in half. -
Chris Christie's weight-loss procedure doesn't always work
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie revealed that he's had gastric-band weight-loss surgery, which experts say has the least amount of short-term risk but also yields the least amount of weight loss.
-
Caffeinated gum raises health buzz
A new line of caffeinated chewing gum is causing jitters among health advocates and prompting federal officials to take a new look at the proliferation of jolt-infused foods, including those marketed to children and teens.
-
Dr. Oz's tips for losing those last 10 pounds
Stress, the slowing of metabolism of middle age, and hormone changes after having a baby are three main reasons why many people see the numbers on the scale going up. Dr. Mehmet Oz shares tips on how to shed those final 10 pounds.
-
How First Lady won over Miss. on school lunches
Despite its deeply red political leanings, it was Mississippi that early on embraced the first lady’s ideas about healthy food, and was the site where Mrs. Obama kicked off a two day, three-city tour touting the three-year anniversary of her “Let’s Move” initiative, which encourages kids to get and stay fit.
-
Anger may raise heart attack risk, study finds
Bottling up emotions is thought to harm both mind and body, but a new study suggests that the opposite extreme may be no better. -
Just one daily soda can raise diabetes risk
Drinking just one 12-ounce soda a day may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, a new study from Europe suggests. -
Gut bugs linked to heart attacks, strokes
Thousands of heart attack victims every year have none of the notorious risk factors before their crisis - not high cholesterol, not unhealthy triglycerides. -
12 school football players die each year, study finds
Each year in the U.S. an average of a dozen high school and college football players die during practices and games, according to a new study that finds heart conditions, heat and other non-traumatic causes of death are twice as common as injury-related ones. -
Chelation little help for heart disease: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Removing metals from the body through a controversial treatment has little effect on the long-term health of people who've previously suffered a heart attack, according to the results of a government-funded trial released Tuesday.
-
Brisk walk may be as good as a run, study finds
Walking really is just as good for you as running – but only if you compare it in terms of calories burned and not merely on time spent, researchers reported on Thursday. -
Smart jocks: Fit kids do better at math, reading
Forget the old high school clichés about athletes not doing as well academically as less sporty kids -- a new study shows that children who exercise more do better in math, reading tests.
-
Seeing green might make your workout better
The positive effects of green exercise may have more to do with the color green than with being surrounded by nature, according to a new study. -
No time to exercise? Try 10-minute workouts
The procrastinators, the super-busy, and the easily bored in pursuit of a manageable fitness routine may find what they seek in the 10-minute workout.
-
Stressed? Exercise may help ward off anxiety
Exercise not only improves mood, it may help people maintain reduced anxiety in the face of stressful or emotional events, a new study says.
