A federal report credits Florida’s crackdown on pill mills and doctor shoppers with reducing deaths from prescription-drug overdoses by nearly one quarter.
The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents a 23% reduction in prescription drug deaths in Florida from 2010 to 2012. The report suggests that other states should follow Florida’s lead.
In recent years, Florida has become known as the pill mill capital of the United States. According to the CDC, between 2003 and 2009, drug overdose deaths in Florida increased 61.0%, from 1,804 to 2,905. Many were attributed to the pain killer oxycodone.
In response to the pill mills and the overdose deaths, Florida passed various laws and concentrated law enforcement efforts to shutter bogus medical clinics.
The result? Drug overdose deaths between 2010 and 2012 decreased 16.7%, from 3,201 to 2,666. Additionally, deaths per 100,000 persons decreased 17.7%, from 17.0 to 14.0. Overall, death rates for prescription drugs decreased 23.2%, from 14.5 to 11.1 per 100,000 persons.