It is no surprise that Florida authorities and the Drug Enforcement Administration are fighting the war against prescription drug trafficking and abuse. But should pharmacies be joining in on the cause? This is currently the reality in Florida. CVS has announced that its pharmacies will now limit who can prescribe a popularly trafficked and abused prescription drug, oxycodone.

We have brought up Florida's focus on so-called "pill mills" in the state and how officials have arrested some doctors for their alleged roles in providing excessive, unnecessary amounts of pain pills for patients. Now, CVS is limiting some patients' and doctors' freedoms by refusing to fill the prescriptions they send to their pharmacies for pain pills.

A CVS representative has issued a report saying that this action is not meant to be a bother to its customers. Florida has become notorious for prescription drug trafficking and abuse, with its doctors prescribing an estimated 10 times more of the drugs compared to other states. CVS believes it's playing a supportive role in trying to curb the rate of prescription abuse in the state.

Still, some critics of this decision believe that CVS is taking on a responsibility that's not really its job to take on. They are not the law; nor are they licensed doctors who understand what patients are going through and why they might need something like oxycodone. Sure, there are those who abuse the drug, but there are also the many who use prescription pain killers just to be able to function during a difficult time.

Source

Reuters: "CVS will not fill some prescriptions for potent drugs in Florida," Barbara Liston, Nov. 29, 2011