title: Opioid Overdose Deaths and Florida's Crackdown on Pill Mills.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the effect on opioid overdose mortality of Florida state laws and law enforcement operations targeting "pill mills."
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected 2003 to 2012 mortality data from the Florida Department of Health and the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics (the comparison state) to estimate changes in the rates of death from prescription opioid, heroin, or any opioid overdose.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Florida's actions were associated with an estimated 1029 lives saved from prescription opioid overdose over a 34-month period. Estimated reductions in deaths grew over the intervention period, with rates per 100,000 population that were 0.6 lower in 2010, 1.8 lower in 2011, and 3.0 lower in 2012 than what would have been expected had the changes in mortality rate trends in Florida been the same as changes in trends in North Carolina. Florida's mortality rates from heroin and total opioid overdose were also lower than anticipated relative to changes in trends in North Carolina.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings from this study indicate that laws regulating pain clinics and enforcement of these laws may, in combination, reduce opioid overdose deaths.
authors.affiliation: Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Emma E. McGinty, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Colleen L. Barry, and Daniel W. Webster are with the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Matthew Richey is with St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN.
authors.forename: Alene
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kennedy-Hendricks
authors.affiliation: Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Emma E. McGinty, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Colleen L. Barry, and Daniel W. Webster are with the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Matthew Richey is with St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Richey
authors.affiliation: Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Emma E. McGinty, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Colleen L. Barry, and Daniel W. Webster are with the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Matthew Richey is with St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN.
authors.forename: Emma E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: McGinty
authors.affiliation: Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Emma E. McGinty, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Colleen L. Barry, and Daniel W. Webster are with the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Matthew Richey is with St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.affiliation: Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Emma E. McGinty, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Colleen L. Barry, and Daniel W. Webster are with the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Matthew Richey is with St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN.
authors.forename: Colleen L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.affiliation: Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Emma E. McGinty, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Colleen L. Barry, and Daniel W. Webster are with the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Matthew Richey is with St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN.
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Webster
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000401:mortality*; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D009657:North Carolina; D059408:Pain Management; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D064226:Prescription Drug Diversion / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D063487:Prescription Drug Misuse / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid