Rogers, Florida colleague file measure to crack down on ‘pill mills’

U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers of Eastern Kentucky’s 5th District continues to pressure the White House for more action to crack down on “crook doctors operating these pill mills,” the Lexington Herald-Leader’s Halimah Abdullah reports. (H-L photo by David Perry)

Along with U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanen, R-Fla., Rogers has filed a measure that would support state-based prescription drug monitoring efforts; use seized profits from the drug trade to support rehabilitation treatment; tighten prescription standards for some pain drugs; and make prison terms more lengthy and fines more expensive.

The Obama administration says it is doing its part and “is the first to publicly call the prescription abuse problem an epidemic,” Abdullah reports. White House officials contend the administration has increased drug busts and has already poured millions into state-operated prescription monitoring programs. “We’ve been laser-focused on this issue since day one,” said Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. (Read more)