TAKE THE DRUG MONEY

Accept Company's Offer and Implement Monitoring Program

Maybe the opponents of a statewide system for monitoring the
prescription of high-powered narcotics are holding out for more money
from the pharmaceutical industry.

It's doubtful. But that strategy is the only logical reason for Gov.
Rick Scott and House Speaker Dean Cannon to oppose implementation of
the system.

Last year, in response to rising numbers of deaths related to
prescription painkillers and Florida's status as the go-to state for
drug buyers, the Legislature passed a law that calls for a
prescription-drug monitoring program. The strong consensus among
legitimate pain-management specialists, drug-abuse experts and law
enforcement officials is that a statewide data base is the most
important component of an effective monitoring program. Legislatures
in a majority of the states have created data bases and reported
declines in drug-abuse problems - as Florida has experienced increases.

Scott and Cannon want to undo Florida's program, citing privacy
concerns and costs. States with data bases have protected privacy; the
benefits, to individuals and society, of the program far outweigh the
potential risks. Cannon and a House committee are now pushing a
counterproductive bill that would prevent all doctors from dispensing
painkillers. That ignores the fact that many of the pills are
dispensed at pharmacies.

The program will cost Florida nothing to implement: The pharmaceutical
industry committed to providing start-up funds; Senate President Mike
Haridopolos, a supporter, announced this week that Purdue Pharma
offered $1 million to fund the program two years. Scott rebuffed the
offer, saying the program might later cost Florida money.

If the state can get more money from the industry, fine; but if public
funds are required to protect and save lives, so what?