Fla. governor agrees to implement prescription drug monitoring

“Florida Gov. Rick Scott reversed course Thursday and said he will allow a prescription drug monitoring program that Kentucky officials have demanded to help block the flow of illegal prescription drugs coming from the Sunshine State,” the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

The recently elected Republican said during a congressional hearing that private companies will fund the program for two years. Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, who also testified at the hearing, said he was “very excited and pleased” at Scott’s announcement.

“It was a rare moment of unity for the two governors,” Halimah Abdullah writes for McClatchy Newspapers. “Their previous ideological differences on whether Florida should implement a prescription drug monitoring program to help stem the flow of drugs led to a tense standoff. Scott previously objected to such a program, citing privacy concerns, and turned down a $1 million donation from pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, meant to help pay for a prescription database.” (Read more)