An Assessment of the Impact of a Multipronged Approach to Reducing Problematic Pain Clinics in Florida

• In Event: Police Response to Drugs

Abstract

The present research evaluates recent changes to Florida law and policy to reduce problematic
pain clinics (pill mills) and criminal diversion of prescription opioids. These changes entailed
a multipronged effort linking regulatory and criminal-law approaches. Quantitative data from
the Florida Department of Health and qualitative data from in-depth interviews with lawenforcement
officers assigned to pill-mill taskforces reveal steep declines in pain clinics and
pill mills. Respondents credit some regulatory enhancements for the reduction, although they
describe some interagency cooperation problems and emphasize that despite success, many
troublesome establishments continue to operate. The results suggest that Florida’s effort to
reduce opioid diversion by tightening regulatory restrictions and law-enforcement scrutiny
illustrates a multiagency approach to a problem spanning public health and criminal justice. This
could be an example for other states seeking to combat problems that cannot be effectively
addressed using regulatory or criminal law alone.

Authors

• Erika J. Brooke, University of Florida

• Jacinta Gau, UCF