FLA: Drug Czar: Prescription pills killing us

[DdC]

FLA: Drug Czar: Prescription pills killing us Thread
By DEBORAH CIRCELLI Last update: October 29, 2005
Computerized tracking network needed to stop addicts

DAYTONA BEACH -- Every day, six people die in Florida from lethal doses of prescription drugs, the state's drug czar said Friday.

Jim McDonough, director of the Florida Office of Drug Control, told about 100 people at a 2005 Red Ribbon luncheon at Daytona Beach Community College that improper use of prescription drugs, primarily pain pills, is the main drug problem the state is facing.

He said prescription-drug death rates now exceed the combined total of heroine and cocaine deaths.

"The addict finds a more attractive high off prescription drugs, but he's also getting a more fatal high," McDonough said prior to the luncheon.

The issue is so urgent, he said, his office will push again next spring for legislation that would put a computer network system in place for doctors and pharmacists to see what prescription drugs people are already receiving when they come in for a prescription. The system would prevent people from going to multiple doctors and pharmacies to get multiple prescriptions.

Similar systems are in place in two dozen other states, he said. The program would cost about $3 million and primarily be paid for through federal dollars, he said.

Meanwhile, Stewart-Marchman Center for Chemical Independence in the past month has launched a new program, Right Turn, to help those with prescription-drug abuse. The program, which provides outpatient treatment, has included more than 20 people.

Ernest Cantley, president of Stewart-Marchman, said Stewart-Marchman staffers are seeing higher-income people who became addicted after dealing with neck and back pain and migraine headaches.

McDonough told the crowd the state is making progress in overall drug use compared to seven years ago, pointing to a recent youth survey where 18 of 21 categories have decreased. But students in grades six through 12 reported an increase in depressant use, such as over-the-counter cough medicine.

He said it could be a forewarning of a heavier move into prescription use, similar to adults'.

Overall, he said, youth have changed their behavior about smoking cigarettes and marijuana , but work is still needed on alcohol use.

"We are seeing usage rates go down, but we still have a long way to go," McDonough said.

Statistics by the Daytona Beach Police Department show an increase in people being arrested on any type of narcotics charge. There were 1,920 arrests in 2004, compared to 1,368 in 2003 and 1,613 in 2001, according to the department. The first six months of this year show 906 arrests.

Jeff Anderson, 50, who attended the luncheon along with other clients from Stewart-Marchman's adult and youth treatment programs, said he was resentful at first when his family sought a court order for alcohol abuse treatment last month.

But as he prepared to graduate from the program later Friday, he said he realized he needed the help.

"I know I can't go back to that life," Anderson said. "I was too close to death too many times."

mailto:deborah.circelli@news-jrnl.com



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