NEW YORK—Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is calling on Florida Gov. Rick Scott to control prescription drug abuse in Florida. Drug trafficking from Florida’s pharmacies to New York has increased over the past few years.
Scott’s new budget released last week cut Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program, and Schumer says that this will lead to more drugs making their way north.
The program requires prescriptions to be logged in an online database, which ensures that the prescription cannot be reused once the medicine has been picked up. New York and 34 other states participate in the program; seven additional states are in the process of implementing the system. The program was signed into law in Florida in June 2009 and enacted in September 2009.
This system prevents “doctor shopping,” or taking the same prescription to multiple doctors, as well as stockpiling medications so that they could be resold.
“There’s a small group of rogue doctors and pharmacies that do this, and many of them are concentrated in three counties in Florida,” Schumer said. “Florida has become so notorious for prescription drug trafficking that it’s now being referred to by law enforcement officials as the ‘Flamingo Express.’ Drug runners get these narcotics from ‘pill mills,’ shady store-front pharmacies that deal these drugs out like candy.”
Bridget Brennan, special narcotics prosecutor for New York City, added that prosecutions for illegal prescription drugs have increased by more than 150 percent in the last three years. “This is a phenomenon not commonly seen just three years ago. It’s a phenomenon which is having an absolutely devastating impact on many of our communities,” she said.
Brennan noted that prescription drug arrests shot up by 300 percent, from 168 to 673, between 2008 and 2009. She also pointed out that prescription narcotics have often been linked to violent crimes, criminals with long violent records, and more recently, organized crime.
“We have our own locally grown issues to tend to. The last thing we need is Florida’s easily obtained pills flooding our streets,” Brennan said. She added that every state should do its part in curbing this drug abuse.
Schumer wrote Scott a letter regarding the monitoring program on Feb. 20. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) has also been in contact with the governor’s office. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) have taken Schumer’s stance as well.
Should Scott refuse to re-implement the program, Schumer says his next step will be to propose federal legislation to stop drug trafficking nationwide. He added that ideally the governor will agree to keep the program in place—because it would take effect immediately, whereas federal legislation will take longer to implement.
“The governor wants to cut costs,” Schumer said, adding that Scott should consider the fact that the project is largely funded by the federal government. A total of $1.2 million was given to the state for the creation of the system, and $500,000 is provided annually for maintenance costs. “The damage that will occur in Florida and the rest of the country by eliminating the program is huge,” Schumer warned.
Scott’s new budget released last week cut Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program, and Schumer says that this will lead to more drugs making their way north.
The program requires prescriptions to be logged in an online database, which ensures that the prescription cannot be reused once the medicine has been picked up. New York and 34 other states participate in the program; seven additional states are in the process of implementing the system. The program was signed into law in Florida in June 2009 and enacted in September 2009.
This system prevents “doctor shopping,” or taking the same prescription to multiple doctors, as well as stockpiling medications so that they could be resold.
“There’s a small group of rogue doctors and pharmacies that do this, and many of them are concentrated in three counties in Florida,” Schumer said. “Florida has become so notorious for prescription drug trafficking that it’s now being referred to by law enforcement officials as the ‘Flamingo Express.’ Drug runners get these narcotics from ‘pill mills,’ shady store-front pharmacies that deal these drugs out like candy.”
Bridget Brennan, special narcotics prosecutor for New York City, added that prosecutions for illegal prescription drugs have increased by more than 150 percent in the last three years. “This is a phenomenon not commonly seen just three years ago. It’s a phenomenon which is having an absolutely devastating impact on many of our communities,” she said.
Brennan noted that prescription drug arrests shot up by 300 percent, from 168 to 673, between 2008 and 2009. She also pointed out that prescription narcotics have often been linked to violent crimes, criminals with long violent records, and more recently, organized crime.
“We have our own locally grown issues to tend to. The last thing we need is Florida’s easily obtained pills flooding our streets,” Brennan said. She added that every state should do its part in curbing this drug abuse.
Schumer wrote Scott a letter regarding the monitoring program on Feb. 20. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) has also been in contact with the governor’s office. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) have taken Schumer’s stance as well.
Should Scott refuse to re-implement the program, Schumer says his next step will be to propose federal legislation to stop drug trafficking nationwide. He added that ideally the governor will agree to keep the program in place—because it would take effect immediately, whereas federal legislation will take longer to implement.
“The governor wants to cut costs,” Schumer said, adding that Scott should consider the fact that the project is largely funded by the federal government. A total of $1.2 million was given to the state for the creation of the system, and $500,000 is provided annually for maintenance costs. “The damage that will occur in Florida and the rest of the country by eliminating the program is huge,” Schumer warned.
