DRUG MONITORING PROGRAM WORTH SAVING

Less government. Less state regulation. Less government intrusion in
our every day lives. These are important values we share. However,
these values should never trump efforts that save thousands of lives
each year. We understand that the fiscal challenge our state faces
requires a thorough and thoughtful review of all state programs and
initiatives. However, it is important that state leaders weigh
programs like the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program before cutting,
or eliminating, them because in this instance, the PDMP will save
thousands of lives.

Passage of the PDMP in 2009 by the Florida Legislature was the first
important step taken to battle the growing "pill mills" plaguing our
state, especially in South Florida. Eliminating the program will have
devastating consequences on the progress we need to make to end
"doctor shopping" and aggressively shut down "pill mills."

The PDMP is a much-needed and necessary tool for law enforcement to
effectively gather information on "doctor shopping" and implement
integrated strategies on efforts to rid our communities of "pill
mills." Without a central database of information, the law enforcement
community is continuously playing catch up with the doctor shoppers
and pill mills rather than getting ahead of them. The PDMP will
provide the vital knowledge of where and how pill mills target our
community and allow law enforcement to engage in more aggressive
strategies to shut them down.

State leaders, especially Gov. Scott, should be alarmed when governors
from across the country are begging Florida to continue the PDMP. To
date, 42 states have passed a PDMP, and 38 have already implemented
it. Pill mills have no boundaries, and they have become a real threat
to individuals outside our own state. And we need to have a concerted
effort among all states, including Florida, to effectively shut these
"death clinics" down. Watch this now! Charlie Sheen speaks out after
kids taken away

For Floridians, the PDMP will bring lifesaving efforts without a drain
on taxpayers because the program is to be funded 100 percent through
the private sector. In fact, the legislation prohibits any public
funds to be used for the PDMP. And so far, the Office of Drug Control
and the state's Department of Health have raised close to $500,000 to
implement the program.

Losing seven Floridians each day to prescription drug overdose is an
epidemic that our elected leaders must continue to tackle, because too
many Floridians are senselessly losing their lives due to the
explosion of pill mills. We believe Attorney General Pam Bondi, in her
very short time in office, has already signaled her aggressive
approach to this issue. We applaud her commitment to address this
epidemic and ask that you ensure Attorney General Bondi has the tools,
like the PDMP, to fight this vicious crisis.

On behalf of Floridians, we are pleading with Gov. Scott, Attorney
General Bondi and legislative leaders not to sacrifice vital
initiatives such as the PDMP in an effort to achieve a balanced
budget. Too many lives are at risk, and the consequences are too great
to eliminate the PDMP.