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Doctors No Longer Allowed To Sell Narcotics

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami.com) – Local and state agents conducted inspections on South Florida pain clinics Tuesday to make sure they are complying with new laws aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse.

Thirteen clinics were visited including 9 in Broward County, which has long held the reputation of being the pill mill capital of the country.

"The landscape has changed for pill mills in Broward County," declared Sheriff Al Lamberti at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

Agents say they seized 40-thousand pain pills. Under the new law signed by Governor Rick Scott, pain clinics can no longer sell powerful pain medications.

CBS4 spoke with Jack Goloff who runs a family practice that specializes in pain management. Goloff's office on East Commercial Boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale was one of the clinics that agents visited Tuesday morning.

Goloff showed us a list of expired and current pills that agents seized.

He said the visit was unannounced and he is happy to comply with the new laws.

"Clinics practicing illegally won't survive," says Goloff who has a degree in osteopathic medicine.

Goloff says he used to sell prescription pain medication but no longer does.

Sheriff Al Lamberti says a year ago there were 130 pill mills operating in Broward County dispensing thousands of pain pills like Oxycodone.

Lamberti says today there are 57 left.

"Enforce the new rules," warned Lamberti.

Renee Doyle lost a son to a pain pill addiction and is now an activist who pickets pill mills, says there is still work to do, but that they've turned the corner.

"We are gonna continue our protests," said Doyle. "There are still many out there we want to close."

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