Manatee County Commission to vote on prescription drug resolution

The Manatee County Commission last year passed local measures designed to at least slow the abuse of prescription drug abuse in the region, including new rules governing the operation of so-called "pain management clinics."

So perhaps it is no surprise that the commission is about to let the state knows where it stands on a proposal from Gov. Rick Scott to repeal a new law that would set up a statewide prescription drug monitoring program.

"The Board of County Commissioners supports the continued implementation of the prescription drug monitoring program and the associated database," reads a proposed resolution that commissioners will consider on Tuesday.

The proposed resolution lists several "whereases" to help make the county's case, including:

• 60 people in Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties died from Oxycodone overdoses in the first six months of 2010, and 55 died from Xanax overdoses during the same period.
• The estimated cost of a drug monitoring program is $500,000, or less than one-thousandth of 1 percent of the overall state budget.
• A monitoring program would provide a tool for doctors and pharmacists to determine if a patient is "doctor shopping" or has purchased an excessive amount of drugs.
• Florida is the largest population state without some type of prescription drug monitoring program.
• "Nationally, Florida is perceived in a negative light for its proliferation of pill mills and out-of-state users flocking to Florida for drugs."

The commission will vote Thursday on the resolution.

Cross-posted at Crime Watch.