New FL Legislation Addresses Infant Drug Addiction
Babies born to mothers who are dependent upon drugs or alcohol often have their own issues with addiction. It’s a problem that is extreme in the state of Florida and one that local officials are working to remedy as best they can. Specifically, Attorney General Pam Bondi and GOP lawmakers Sen. Joe Negron and Rep. Kelli Stargel are launching an initiative that will look at the effects of prescription drug addiction in the state and how it is creating a problem for newborns.
Says Bondi: “We do not want this to become the next crack baby epidemic and that’s where we’re headed in this country.”
It’s not the first action that lawmakers have taken in the state with the focus of getting the rampant problem of prescription drug addiction under control. Lawmakers also instituted drug testing for those on welfare in the state and also passed a law that cracked down on establishments that did little for patients but hand out prescriptions – often without proof of a medical condition. Despite their attempts, prescription drug dependence is still a serious issue and the high rate of babies born addicted to painkillers and other drugs is indicative of the fact that more must be done.
Bondi’s hope is that increasing the level of education and prevention efforts across the state will help to stop prescription drug addiction before it starts. When it comes to pregnant women, he hopes that letting them know that it is important to disclose their use of prescription drugs to their doctor – and that it’s safe to do so – so that they get the help that they need to protect their unborn child. Specifically, they would like to create a 10-member task force dedicated to the investigation of the withdrawal symptoms that are plaguing addicted infants and how those withdrawal symptoms affect their physical and neurological development.
The issue is that many women may not realize that they are physically dependent upon a prescription drug and continue to take it without concern for their newborn after they get pregnant. Women who know that they are dependent upon painkillers and other addictive prescription drugs and are fully aware of that fact may fear that they will lose their child – or their freedom – if they admit to drug abuse or addiction.
The fact is that with full disclosure early in pregnancy, doctors can help pregnant women mitigate the effects of their addiction on their unborn child. Hopefully, the efforts into education and awareness will begin to lower the incidences of babies born addicted to prescription drugs in Florida – and the rest of the country will follow suit.
