PILL MILLS, AND THE SO-CALLED DOCTORS WHO RUN THEM, COST LIVES

One reads with dismay the article on doctors as drug dealers vs.
caregivers, suggesting that there is some legitimacy with respect to
the many doctors who operate in this state as little more than pill
dispensers. To suggest that there is any legitimate debate that these
people are caring individuals concerned about the well-being of their
"patients" ignores the profound human pain such individuals cause.

One need only sit in drug court at the local courthouse for a day or
two to witness the human carnage left in their wake. One sees
tangible evidence every day of the ravaged lives caused directly by
these pill dispensers. There is no debate at all regarding the true
nature of such individuals.

Rather, the Legislature is too weak to enact the kind of laws
necessary to regulate their conduct. Instead, many individuals come
from states such as Kentucky or West Virginia, which have laws
regulating pill mills. In Florida, these people will buy batches of
drugs, such as OxyContin, to use and/or to sell at home. OxyContin is
called the poor man's heroin, and it is an extremely addictive drug
that regularly destroys lives. The end result of what these so-called
doctors do lies in the graveyards and prison cells of this state.

Vincent N. Simone, Pompano Beach