STOP ILLEGAL PILLS

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp says the way to shut illegal pill mills ("Shut
doors to illegal pill mills," Other Views, Feb. 15) is to focus on new
regulations to better count the number of pills going into the
pain/weight/accident clinics and electronically track the pills
flowing out. But the state has no budget to do this.

The problem is that current laws require that an investigation can't
begin until there is a written complaint on a government form by an
actual patient who has obtained the drugs illegally at the clinic.
This doesn't happen.

So we need to create a whistle-blower reward system that provides each
client or office staff with a reward incentive equal to one week's
cash flow for every violation reported that results in a citation.

Without the current happy, silent collusion between staff and clients
that drives the current business, there will be no business.

William C. Dudney

The writer is a psychiatrist and former director of drug
rehabilitation clinics.