Florida legislature passes prescription drug bill

Many experts have identified Florida as one of the states most devastated by prescription drug abuse. The state has allowed pain clinics to prescribe medication without much enforcement. As a result, many people have taken advantage of the system and received more painkillers than they actually need.

However, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill that would combat prescription drug abuse in the state, St. Petersburg Times reports. The proposal plans to expand penalties for pill mill operators, requires reporting narcotics prescriptions to a state database in seven days rather than 15 and prohibits doctors and some small pharmacies from dispensing narcotics.

"This bill is perhaps, even bigger than job creation," Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, told the news source. "We will not let a handful of drug dealers bring our people to their knees."

Parents who find their children using prescription drugs recreationally may wish to enroll them into boot camps for troubled teens. This program pushes adolescents in a healthier direction to make better lifestyle choices.

According to a 2009 survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 10 percent of high school seniors used the prescription painkiller Vicodin non-medically. Furthermore, approximately 5 percent of the same age group used the medication OxyContin recreationally.