US Pharm. 2009;34(7):8.
Tallahassee, FL -- According to The Miami Herald, Governor Charlie Crist has signed legislation that would limit the flow of illegal prescription drugs from South Florida pain clinics across the eastern United States. The new law requires doctors and pharmacists to record patient prescriptions for most state-controlled drugs. Florida was among only 12 states without a prescription-monitoring program, which attracted addicts and dealers looking for strong painkillers. According to the article, Florida supplied narcotics to drug rings in Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, and Massachusetts. Under the new law, pain clinics must register with the Florida Department of Health. The bill also mandates that pain clinics be inspected annually and allows the Florida Board of Medicine to adopt new rules for doctors who dispense medication in these clinics.
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