Bill seeks to curb illegal drug activity from out-of-state “pill mills”

The Senate and House Judiciary Committees approved legislation this week to attack a major source of illegal drug activity in Tennessee.  The bill, Senate Bill 3027, would stiffen penalties against those who get prescriptions in another state and return to distribute the drugs illegally in Tennessee.  

Action on the bill follows a 96.6 percent increase in drug-related deaths according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Some Tennessee law enforcement officers attribute the increase to the misuse of prescription drugs by those who obtain them legally from out-of-state “pill mills.”

States across the South have seen an increase in crime stemming from the rise of pain clinics in Florida, where the laws are much looser than other states.  These are often referred to as pill mills.  Law enforcement officers say there is an increase in drug busts involving prescriptions obtained at these pill mills and sold illegally in Tennessee.

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