Study: Dispensing Ban, PDMP Combined to Reduce Opioid Abuse

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau Chief Florida's two-year-old state law aimed at shutting down the state's pill mills has significantly reduced drug-related deaths and appears to have cut down on the use of opioids in general, according to a study by Nova Southeastern University.  In a report released last month, Nova's Center for Applied Research on Substance Abuse and Health Disparities reported a 17% decline in deaths related to nonmedical use of opioids during the first six months of 2012 and a 39% drop in the presence of the powerful opioid painkiller oxycodone am...