Congressman Ted Deutch has cosponsored H.R. 1065, the Pill Mill Crackdown Act of 2011. Every day across the country, phony pain management clinics dispense powerful narcotics inappropriately, making it easy for individuals to obtain medically unnecessary painkillers either for themselves or to resell on the streets. Known as "pill mill" clinics, these operations are disguised as independent pain-management centers, and they tend to open and shut down quickly in order to evade law enforcement. While most of them operate in Florida and Texas, these clinics are a significant source of the illegally diverted painkillers found nationwide. Congress and the states have taken important steps toward combating “pill mill” clinics as well as “doctor shopping,” which occurs when an individual obtains multiple prescriptions from different providers, without informing their provider or coordinating care. To address this problem, Congress created a database system (NASPER) to help states identify and combat prescription drug abuse. NASPER provides grants to states to establish and improve prescription drug monitoring programs. Unfortunately, the epidemic of pain medication abuse continues growing, with “pill mill operators” and addicts filling emergency rooms and jail cells across the country. According to a 2005 study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, the number of Americans who abuse or use prescription drugs illegally now exceeds the number of Americans who abuse cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin combined. This epidemic is ruining lives and burdening our healthcare system. H.R. 1065 increases fines and penalties for "pill mill operators" to discourage individuals from running these dangerous and illegal operations. The bill also uses proceeds from seized assets of drug violators to support states' drug monitoring databases. Finally, it reclassifies certain dangerous painkillers as Schedule II drugs, a category of prescription medications that are more tightly regulated.

You can read H.R. 1065, the Pill Mill Crackdown Act of 2011, here.