By Brenna Angel/KPR
Frankfort, Ky – There is still a lot of work to do, but the Florida Attorney General says the "pill pipeline" between her state and Kentucky has been significantly reduced thanks to tougher regulations and the launch of a prescription monitoring program. Pam Bondi spoke in Lexington today at a conference on prescription drug abuse. She says,
"We've been going around the state training law enforcement in what to look for in these drug cases, and you wouldn't believe the number of doctors and nurses who are showing up to our training sessions. So there are so many responsible doctors and dentists who want to know what to look for and want to do the right thing."
Of the top 100 prescribers of oxycodone across the country, 98 of them were in Florida, but Bondi says that number is now down to 11.
Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway also spoke at the conference. He announced that a package of legislation placing new restrictions on pain management clinics will be filed by House Speaker Greg Stumbo next week. He says,
"With so much in the way of House and Senate politics and party politics going on right now, I want to make certain that this is not cast as a partisan issue because I don't see it as one."
Conway says the bill will also require doctors who prescribe a large amount of narcotics to register with KASPER, the state's prescription monitoring program.