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Jackson and the "Pill Mills"
Now the state has become the unofficial national headquarters for a thriving black market in addictive prescription drugs, especially oxycodone, one of the drugs found in the sweep of Jackson’s house after his arrest.
Florida allows pill mills to operate so long as a licensed doctor is on the premises to write a prescription, and the patient shows up for each prescription renewal. Today’s clinics, often in ramshackle buildings in strip malls of borderline neighborhoods, aggressively advertise “Pain Management” on billboards and bus benches.There, patients complaining of chronic pain get prescriptions for the entire range of legal opiates. The initial consultation is $200, and each prescription is for a one month supply. Each follow-up visit for a new prescription takes only a few minutes and costs $100. Word has spread beyond South Florida to West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, and other states about how easy it is to get a narcotic fix in South Florida.
Because of lax Florida laws, each pill mill employs only a single doctor who prescribes opiates for up to 70 walk-in patients daily. Crimes around the clinics, from robberies of patients with freshly filled prescriptions, to attempted break-ins at the clinics themselves, are a growing problem. But the demand for the pills has caused the trade to boom—in the last year, the number of pill mills in Dade and Broward counties zoomed from 60 to more than 150. Only 45 South Florida doctors are responsible for prescribing nearly nine million oxycodone pills in the last six months of 2008. Thirty-three of the top 50 oxycodone-dispensing doctors in the United States practice in Broward County.
And Florida has no law to track the prescriptions. So someone can walk into 20 clinics a day and walk out with 20 prescriptions. Following the April arrest of 25 Kentucky drug dealers, who got their supply from the Florida pill mills, and an investigation by The Miami Herald, the state legislature passed a law that will start tracking the prescriptions next year. But for the next six months, it’s still a paradise for drug addicts and dealers and anyone can start to get hooked at Florida’s pill mills for a fraction of what it cost Michael Jackson with his celebrity doctors.
Gerald Posner is the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism (www.posner.com). Posner lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
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Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
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Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
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Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Nobody knows what to believe anymore about this family. But the father keeps making news:
Joe: I'll take Jackson 3 on world tour
By BEN JACKSON
VIRGINIA WHEELER
and PETE SAMSON
MICHAEL'S father Joe is lining up the King of Pop's children for a world tour as The Jackson Three - despite family members accusing him of trying to "exploit them like Jacko".
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2531616.ece
However, I think Posner, Roger Friedman and TMZ are doing the best reporting. I pray that the above news report is a lie.
Mr Gerald Posner you are a very good investigative journalist, however you should stop with these articles on Michael Jackson, no one cares anymore!
This is quite a revelation for a reader not residing in Florida! What other states and countries does the ever expanding Michael Jackson death story go to next? Perhaps mapping this to Jackson's traveling would be very informative. The Farshchian-Jackson connection that Mr. Posner reveals to the reader is another piece of the puzzle being added. It's a matter of time that if there is sufficient evidence that Farshchian was an enabler, "speak to my attorney" will be his standard response.
I'm very disturbed by the information in this article. Why, oh why does the congress and the governor of this state allow these drug dealing clinics to operate, knowing full well what they are up to? WE NEED LEADERSHIP> If anything good comes out of this MJ investigation besides understanding who was MJ's friends and who were not, we also need to focus on the state of this nation's missuse of prescription drugs and the unethical medical practitioners dealing them.THe AMerican Medical Association should be hanging its head in shame. We've slammed the public schools long enough. At least teachers try to prevent and intervene for the good of the kids. What is the medical profession doing to police itself. I say Obama should lower the boom on this crap. Enough is enough. An addict is an addict and they are the victim of lazy or noncaring medical practioners. STOP THIS MADNESS. AND GET IT OFF THE INTERNET TOO.
Wow, this is amazing inside information; and the FDA nor the federal government does nothing to stop it? I live in New Jersey and even when I have been in pain, I have never, ever felt comfortable asking for a prescription for the lightest of prescription pain killers, let alone a drug as strong and as well known as oxycontin. If I ever tried, the doctors I see would escort me right out of the office with instructions to pck up a bottle of Advil at the pharmacy. I do not imply that you cannot get a doctor in this state to falsely prescribe such drugs (as I have heard people can do it) but the practice is far less obvious than this writer's description of situation in Florida.
I love posters who say Daily Beast should stop reporting on MJ because nobody cares. However, they care enough to read the article and post! LOL... what an oxymoron!
In any case, Gerald Posner is doing a great job and I hope he keeps at it. Yes, MJ was a drug addict but what appears to have killed him weren't the prescription drugs, it was the case of a doctor who gave him Diprivian and another doctor who administered it for home use, performed CPR incorrectly and didn't call 911 for a HALF AN HOUR! There is more to this story and manslaughter charges are not out of the question. So, the story has legs if there ever was one.
tmj injected himself thinking he could give the performance that he gave when he was 20 or 30 but now he is a fifty year old man he killed himself not deliberately he couldnt do the performances without being high on something thats why the family isnt saying much if its anyone who had a hand in it its the doctors who helped him do it
This week-end I was with four middle age friends at a dinner.One said they take morphine,another takes vicodin every day.Two others take Pecocet every day.Plus they had beer or wine.I guess all the old hippies are still enjoying life,but,this scares me.I am afraid to take any drugs.The feeling of being out of control would really scare me.How can doctors continue to give these drugs over and over and over?How can people think it is safe to take these drugs for along time?Magical thinking if they think it is safe.
I have no idea if this is true about Florida. Given the reputation of the writer though I would check the facts for myself before believing any of it. Posner has made a career of masquerading as an investigative journalist while reprinting handouts from the CIA & others.
An Artist
Wow - as a Florida resident I am shocked by this information about pills mills. I had no idea. One would think it would not be safe to drive in South Florida. Someone needs to do something to curb this and get people off the pain pills. Geez.
Poor Michael, God Bless him, and God help us learn from this sad ending to a talented artist.
" He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands, and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, and his head, and his heart, is An Artist. "
- St. Francis of Assisi
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
t seems to me Dr Farshcian was one of the docs who was trying to help him. Do not trust TMZ, please look alittle further look at pictures 3,23,28 and 30 at http://photos.tmz.com/galleries/michael_jackson_drug_pictures_2#46729
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