DRUG DEATHS MAKE LAWMAKERS' INACTION HARDER TO SWALLOW

For two straight years, members of Florida's House of Representatives
turned a cold shoulder to a bill that would monitor sales of the most
potent prescription drugs.

With the number of deaths from prescription drug overdoses rising
sharply, legislators should explain their actions to family members
who are mourning victims.

According to a report released two weeks ago, the number of deaths
attributed to OxyContin (trade name for oxycodone) in Charlotte County
more than doubled in 2003. OxyContin was also responsible for 57
percent more deaths in the 12th District -- which includes Sarasota,
DeSoto and Manatee counties -- in 2003. The rising number of overdoses
- - - especially of the relatively cheap and accessible drug OxyContin
- -- is alarming.

In 2002, Charlotte County reported three deaths from an overdose of
OxyContin. That number rose to eight in 2003. OxyContin is by far the
most lethal drug being abused today according to statistics compiled
by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. By comparison, heroin
has accounted for only six deaths since 1995 in Charlotte County.

In the entire district, which includes Sarasota and DeSoto counties,
oxycodone was the main cause in 19 of 33 overdose deaths in 2003.
Statewide, the number of deaths where oxycodone was the cause
increased from 256 to 299 last year.

While alcohol and traffic deaths take more lives, the number of deaths
that can be traced to this single prescription drug is sobering. It is
especially poignant when you consider the Senate passed two bills
designed to tighten the reins on prescription drug abuse -- two bills
the House refused to pass.

Senate bill 578 and 589 and House bills 399 and 397 set up a statewide
database where doctors and pharmacists could track drug prescriptions.
By doing so, presumably, they could catch so-called drug shoppers --
people who go from doctor to doctor complaining of symptoms that
require a strong painkiller. By checking the database, doctors and
pharmacists could flag drug abusers and put a dent in the illegal
procurement and eventual sale of OxyCotin and other potent drugs. The
bill did not cover prescriptions for coughs, colds and other minor
ailments for which less potent drugs are used. Making the bill even
more palatable was the fact Florida had more than $2.5 million
committed from the makers of OxyContin and the federal government to
help pay for the database start-up.

For three years the Florida Office of Drug Control tried to get this
bill through the House. Each time, House Speaker Johnnie Byrd and
supporters buried it with privacy issues. Even though the bill was
written to allow limited access to the database -- requiring law
enforcement to be involved in an ongoing investigation before the data
could be collected, for instance -- Byrd and the House used that issue
to kill the bill.

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise. The number of deaths will
continue to swell. Lawmakers need to follow the lead of 20 other
states and pass laws that at least attempt to control the distribution
of potentially dangerous prescription drugs.