Plenty of Pills Right Here in NY

By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D

Florida Governor Rick Scott has proposed eliminating a long-awaited “pill mill” database designed to combat prescription drug abuse, angering his fellow elected officials in Florida and beyond. Among them, New York’s senior Senator Chuck Schumer, who held a press conference on Sunday to blast the move and discuss its impact on New Yorkers.

 Indeed, Florida is the pain management capital of the world and some of the Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet that is so prevalent here on Long Island comes from that state. As such, Governor Scott should revisit his decision, fully fund the database and support proven public health measures.

 But let’s not pretend that Florida is the root of our problems locally and that prescription meds aren’t readily available right here on Long Island. It’s a little like blaming Canada for our endless series of snowstorms. How about we set aside some federal funds to educate Long Island’s parents, patients, doctors and pharmacists about prescription pill misuse and diversion? Why don’t we make the penalties for doctors selling scripts that same as those aimed at non-MDs selling “street” drugs? How about instead of cutting federal and state funding for addiction services, we increase funding to match current community needs?

And while we are on the topic of prescription drug monitoring databases, why not ensure that New York’s own database is updated in real time, rather than monthly and that pharmacists have access to the information they need in order to make decisions that will best serve their patients and our community.  Let’s hope that Governor Scott does the right thing; in the meantime, let’s get to work right here in New York.