FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Manatee Board of County Commission approves moratorium on "pill mills"

Manatee County approves six-month moratorium on new pain clinics Tuesday

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (June 8, 2010) – Manatee Board of County Commissioners today approved a 180-day moratorium on the registration for special permits for new pain management clinics operating within Manatee County.

Manatee County Attorney’s Office has determined there is a proliferation of pill mills throughout Florida, including in Manatee County, which is a reason for the Board to take action.

An agenda memo to the Board from the Attorney’s Office states it is critical to place a moratorium on new pain clinics now, before a new state law goes into effect Oct. 1. Gov. Crist on Friday signed a bill into law that will prohibit a dispensing practitioner from giving a patient more than a 72-hour supply of controlled substances if he or she pays out of pocket for the prescription drugs.

The ordinance comes with the backing of Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube, who recently informed the Board of a number of arrests and deaths related to the illegal use, possession and sale of pharmaceutical drugs.

“Through intelligence information we attempt to link the arrests and deaths to the pill mills in an attempt to bring criminal charges, but this is a difficult task,” Steube says. “Because of the difficulty of making that link, we are suggesting that something preventative been put in to place on the front end of this problem. I believe it imperative that Manatee County be pro-active in this area by implementing a strong ordinance.”

For more information on the ordinance, click on the Regular and Land Use Meeting Agendas area of the County Commission’s page at www.mymanatee.org