Pill mill stalemate looms

Gov. Rick Scott is getting attention from out-of-state Republicans for his perceived aggressive stance against implementing a drug-monitoring database.

It hasn't included well wishes or displays of appreciation. They are pleading with him to change his mind.

"As Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee, we understand your interest in protecting individual privacy and reducing spending ... We nonetheless recognize that shutting down illegal "pill mill" operations and preventing prescription drug abuse and trafficking are inherently governmental functions that merit strong federal, state and local oversight," wrote U.S. Reps Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and Frank Wolf, R-Va., in a letter to Scott.

Coincidentally, on the same day the letter was sent to the governor's office, a state bill espousing Scott's unorthodox approach to the prescription drug epidemic passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 12-6 vote Wednesday morning.

House Bill 7095 is sponsored by Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, who vowed weeks earlier to repeal the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), which was signed into law two years ago but still has not been implemented.

The bill passed by the committee aims to take away a doctor's privilege to dispense narcotics - including oxycodone and methadone.

Schenck's supporters have included House Speaker Dean Cannon and Scott, but the bill has drawn sharp criticism from Republican state senators.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, has his own bill making its way through committees. It aims to bolster the PDMP. He wants it to resemble the already-established programs in other states.

Schenck's bill also was amended Wednesday to ban independent pharmacies from dispensing controlled substances. Bigger chains - such as Walgreens and CVS - would be unaffected.

"The senator's concern with that is what (would) happen to rural communities where they don't have a Walgreens or CVS on every corner," said Fasano spokesman Greg Giordano. "Talk about a job killer.

If the pharmacies can't do their jobs, (there's) no doubt many would close, thus leaving many communities in need of access to medications."

Schenck's aide, Ryan Anderson, said his boss wants to make sure people living in those rural areas don't lose access to certain medications. He has promised to work with lawmakers who represent those residents.

Anderson said Schenck is aware of the financial toll his bill could have on certain businesses if it is signed into law.

"If their survival depends on the sale of narcotics, then it's going to affect them," Anderson said.

State and national data - which have been cited by both Schenck and Fasano as they advocate for their respective bills - show almost 90 percent of all oxycodone prescribed in the United States is done so by Florida doctors.

Rogers and Wolf in their letter to Scott describe their concern about Florida's comparatively lax laws.

"Florida has been too slow," said Anderson. "That's why we're taking an aggressive approach to the problem."

In an intentional display of bi-partisanship, Scott announced during a media conference Tuesday a plan to combat Florida's prescription pill problem by launching a "strike force," which would aid law enforcement by giving them "intelligence and analytical and investigative support."

He said the resources required for the strike force already are in place.

Fasano has said his bill would do a more effective job of mitigating "doctor shopping," which is the practice of fraudulently acquiring prescriptions from a multitude of doctors.

Schenck, by comparison, thinks barring doctors from dispensing narcotics is the better approach.
Senate President Mike Haridopolos supports Fasano's bill. He has said multiple times Schenck's bill would not pass through the Senate.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Dean Cannon has put all of his support behind Schenck's proposal.

"The database is more of a downstream approach," said Cannon spokeswoman Katie Betta. "It's like keeping a list of people who have drowned ... and not jumping in to save them."

In spite of the "differences in opinion," a resolution could still be reached, she said. All sides are aware of the public relations nightmare that could ensue if no new bill is signed into law that addresses the prescription drug problem.

"All principles involved in this debate feel something needs to be done," said Betta. "Just because we're not in agreement in week four of the legislative session doesn't mean it's hopeless."