New Laws & Pill Farms in Florida

Florida has been in the head lights on this issue mostly because it remains one of the few states without tight prescription monitoring and of course, massive proliferation of opiate based drugs. The result was many many pain clinics ( pill mills). Florida responded with legislation on monitoring and Governor Scott has road blocked its implementation on the basis of freedom over regulation. Go figure! Sooner or later politicians have to determine what is in the best interest of the U.S. Ignoring a growing epidemic of drug addiction is hurting all of us. This applies to many issues, not just addiction. There was a time when Darwinian manifest destiny for each individual made sense. This is a different age. Too many people in America for that luxury. Pill mill legislation will help take the spot light off Florida and curtail doctor’s freedom to prescribe at whim. We have to do it. The issue on an even larger national level, is that the problem of addiction, is growing! America’s demand for drugs is at an all time high. Pill mill legislation, banning oxy, etc… is good, but it will shift the problem to illegal street drugs. An oxy addict can use black tar if push comes to shove.

What is needed is simple in concept. Shift resources to humane recognition and treatment of addiction. Any addict in America must have treatment on demand for little or no cash out of pocket. ADDICTS, in almost all cases, are broke. So,…$$$ is an issue. It is like this. Drug demand in America is massive, both legal and illegal. Physics dictates that for every action there is an equal re-action. So, what is the re-action? …Its pork barrel and job security! Why do we invest millions and billions of dollars towards a problem in which no decrease in said problem is realized??? That is a too big a debate for this commentary, but here are the basic beneficiaries” 1. The DEA, in linking drug trafficking to terrorism and spending millions in delusional public relations, 2. Local pork barrel law enforcement, i.e., judicial processing and prison warehousing of drug offenders, 3. Hospital emergency room funding (millions in write off’s of non-collectables;…tax payers get soaked), 4. State funded addiction services with high staff to addict ratios (job security), and 5. Private addiction services siphoning off family savings, while utilizing un-fair attrition rates and a self serving selection process ( they tell you that saving your loved one is priceless…?…can’t pay; “sorry, we wish we could help”…addict relapses; “sorry; no refunds”…”good luck!”)

I could go on, but as a reaction, what could be the alternative? For starters, legislators like Senator Jim Webb of Virginia that push for criminal justice reform are key; (unfortunately, Webb will not be seeking re-election) Some alternative points for consideration are: decriminalization of all drug use, mandatory standards for treatment/relapse/attrition policy, accurate addiction screening protocol at the doors of all jail houses, treatment on demand, humane internment of chronic hard core addicts, alcoholics, etc… These are mechanisms that could turn the addiction epidemic around. On a much broader level, Americans need more than treatment to want to stay clean. Our political differences need to shift from partisan based pork and senseless ideology to a priority based strategy for all of America. Although, beyond the scope of this discussion, that priority would have to extend to a stronger job/ industrial base, focused educational objectives, housing, socialization of health services, and economic density, i.e., new urbanization focusing on tax base concentration. This all sounds like less freedom, but it is key to re-creating the dignity that makes people want to be a functional part of our country. The mentality of “I don’t care”, “I’ll be dead by then”, “ addicts can go to hell”, etc… are default attitudes that grow in vacuum of leadership.