A spokesman
for Rick Scott, the Florida governor who took office this
month, said the governor was closing down the state's
Office of Drug Control, the Miami Herald reported Dec.
22.
Scott campaigned on
a promise to cut government waste. Closing the drug
control office eliminated four full-time positions. The
office's director, Bruce Grant, said the savings would
amount to "less than $500,000," according to the
Herald.
The office was
created by Governor Jeb Bush in 1999. It used regular
surveys to track drug and alcohol use among
schoolchildren, advised the governor on drug policy, and
coordinated the work of state agencies on addiction and
substance abuse.
Brian Burgess, a
spokesman for the governor, said the office's
responsibilities would probably be handed over to the two
state departments responsible for health and law
enforcement. "I don't think we're going to have cocaine
bales stacking up on the docks of Miami if we close this
office," he said.
Lora Brown, who
sits on a task force charged with setting up a
prescription drug monitoring program championed by the
Office of Drug Control, disagreed with the governor's
decision.
"This issue is not
a law issue. It's not a health issue. It's an issue that
incorporates all those areas. It's a complex issue and
needs an integrated, coordinated solution,'' she said.
"I'm very disappointed in the fact that this office has
been dissolved. My concern is this issue is not going to
get the attention it needs."
Grant argued that
closing the office sent the wrong signal. "We've got a
heck of a problem in this state with drugs. And it's not
going to be over any time soon,'' he said. "What you're
saying by getting rid of this office is that's not a
priority."
Source:
www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2011/fla-governor-elect-shutters.html
New
Fla. Gov. Shutters State Drug Control Office - January 7,
2011