Florida leads the nation in prescription drug abuse. Pill mills disguised as pain clinics have become a popular place for people looking to purchase perscription drugs for illegal use. Perscription drug deaths climbed to 2,488 in 2009 - a rate of seven deaths per day - making prescription drug abuse the No. 1 killer of middle-aged Floridians. Effective December 15, 2010 Orange County Board of County Commissioners passed an ordinance imposing a Moratorium on the issuance of Business Tax Receipts for new pain management clinics; no new pain management clinics, establishng that no pain management clinic may limit its business to cash only; establishing hours of operatoin for pain management clinics.
On Tuesday, December 6th, the Board of County Commissioners approved the 180-day extension to the PMC moratorium in unincorporated Orange County for new PMCs and updated the existing ordinance to include the PMC definition and exemptions in the new state law. The revised ordinance also updates the transfer language to allow an existing PMC in unincorporated Orange County to relocate to another location in unincorporated Orange County and transfer the Business Tax Receipt. The extension to the PMC moratorium and updated ordinance will take effect on December 15, 2011 and will expire on June 12, 2012, if not sooner. Please see the attached
moratorium/ordinance (PDF)
LOCK YOUR MEDS - Our kids no longer need to purchase drugs from a drug dealer, they can get them from your medicine cabinet and friends. The war on drugs is no longer cocaine and marijuana, but Oxycodone, Vicodin and other pain relievers. According to the 2008 Florida Youth Survey, prescription drug abuse among our youth are on the rise. 4.5% of high school seniors reported abusing prescription pain relievers within the past month and 3.8% reported abusing prescription depressants. An article in the July 2, 2009 Orlando Sentinel indicated, in Orange and Osceola counties alone, deaths caused by an anti-anxiety drug often sold as Xanax killed 50 people, a jump of 61 percent.
Seventy percent of children who abuse
Prescription Drugs (4MB) admit to getting them from friends and family, often taken from the home medicine cabinet without that person's knowledge. A recent study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) said that teens find it easier to get their hands on Prescription drugs than it is to get their hands on beer.
Lock Your Meds!
Tips on
Proper Disposal of Perscription Drugs (90 KB)
Vital Signs of Perscription Drug Abuse (PDF)
Public Service Annoucement:
mms://otv.ocfl.net/otv/OCDFC_015_PrescriptionDrugs_Proof02.wmv