Last week, the pill mill brothers finally made an appearance in court facing federal weapons charges and murder charges all in relation to the prescription drug mills they are accused of running in South Florida. Clearly lawmakers are attempting to react to the surge of prescription drug trafficking proliferating throughout Broward County attracting doctor shoppers and drug dealers all the way from states like Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Pill Mill Regulation

The regulation of pill mills has finally made its way into law. According to an article in WPTV News, pharmacists are now required by law to enter certain patients’ information into a statewide database that will monitor prescriptions of highly addictive prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax, and Ambien. This requirement does not apply to anti-depressants or blood pressure medications, which should ease the fears of legitimate patients with serious health issues that need the medication.

This new requirement is specifically to corner those people abusing prescription drugs. It is also targeting doctors (like the ones working for the George brothers) that overprescribe or even prescribe medication without a legitimate examination.

While the new legislation could be very effective in catching drug traffickers and doctor shoppers, many people in Broward County are expressing concern that the law could potentially make things difficult for legitimate patients.

Jennifer Hirst, a spokeswoman for the FL Dept. Of Health, addresses privacy concerns by saying, "The data will be stored and maintained in a highly secure system," according to WPTV News.

Prescription Drug Trafficking

While legislation may potentially make things difficult for genuine pain clinic patients, the new regulations are going to make things extremely difficult for drug traffickers. Now that orders for highly addictive prescription drugs like Oxycontin are being recorded in a database, it is almost certain that the arrest rate for drug trafficking or drug possession is going to accelerate. Criminal defense lawyers are rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to be busy for a while.

If you have been accused of drug trafficking or possession of prescription drugs, you are going to need a criminal defense lawyer to help you scale down your charges. Criminal defense lawyers are aware of this new legislation and have already begun to prepare for an increase in drug trafficking or drug possession cases.