By Lisa Autry
Frankfort, KY – Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear says Florida pill mills are responsible for crime and drug-related deaths in his state. Florida has hundreds of pain clinics and no system to track prescriptions obtained there. Governor Rick Scott, meanwhile, says he won't budge from his recommendation to scrap a drug monitoring system in Florida. In a letter sent this week, Beshear says other states like his face tough financial times, but protecting public safety must remain a priority.
"My goodness, number one, this costs about 500-thousand dollars and federal funds can help do it, so it's not a budget buster," he says. "But it can save, literally, thousands and thousands of lives, of Kentuckians, of Floridians, of Americans in general."
Beshear says he hopes to meet with Governor Scott this weekend at a national conference. If not, Beshear says he's willing to travel to Florida for a face-to-face meeting.