Prosecutors back Buchanan's 'pill mill' legislation

The National District Attorney Association and the National Criminal Justice Association today endorsed the bipartisan “Pill Mill Crackdown Act,” legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota.

Here is a news release from Buchanan's office:

The National District Attorney Association and the National Criminal Justice Association today endorsed the bipartisan “Pill Mill Crackdown Act,” saying the bill provides vital backup for law enforcement in the fight against prescription drug abuse nationwide. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and Rep. Ed Markey, D-MA, seeks to crack down on phony pain management clinics – pill mills – that illegally distribute deadly narcotics across the country.

“The Buchanan-Markey bill provides the back-up that state and local law enforcement needs in the ongoing battle against the prescription drug abuse epidemic,” said Kristen Mahoney, President of the National Criminal Justice Association. “That epidemic is responsible for the deaths of 20,000 Americans each year and puts countless more on the path to long-term drug abuse. By supporting state programs that prevent and detect illicit drug activity, this common sense legislation will help save the lives of our children, neighbors, and friends across the country.”

The "Pill Mill Crackdown Act" is supported by more than 50 members of Congress from both parties. It includes provisions to: toughen prison terms and fines for pill mill operators; support state-based prescription drug monitoring programs; use the money from seized illicit operations for drug treatment; and strengthen prescription standards for certain addictive pain drugs.

“These so-called ‘pain management’ clinics are nothing more than drug dealers posing as doctors and health providers,” said Buchanan, noting that prescription drug overdoses claim seven lives a day in Florida. “They need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly – and those who are making money off the death and suffering of their victims should be sent to prison.”

“Doctors earn their medical licenses to prescribe drugs, not deal them,” said Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. “Yet ‘pill mills’ are spurring an epidemic of prescription drug abuse in communities, doctor’s offices, and homes across the country. The ‘Pill Mill Crackdown Act’ will support law enforcement officials who are on the front lines of this battling this scourge detect and stop illegal drug activities.”

 For more about the proposed legislation, H.R. 1065m including its current status, go here.