Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis issued the following statement regarding Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcment that her office has filed an action in state court against some of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers and distributors for their role in the national opioid crisis:
“Attorney General Pam Bondi has been a fearless warrior against the opioid epidemic. She is the leader Florida families impacted by this crisis can count on. No matter how big the opponent is, she has taken on every facet of this epidemic.
“Opioids have taken lives, destroyed families, and threatened our first responders’ safety and resources. From investigating fraudulent drug treatment centers to the exponentially higher prescribing rates in the workers’ compensation system, my office has seen the impacts of the opioid epidemic first-hand as we continue working to protect Floridians. National data shows that in 2016 injured workers who were prescribed opioids received three times the US prescribing rate. The opioid crisis has seeped into the workers’ compensation system, and is the foundation for unscrupulous drug treatment centers who victimize individuals for their own personal gain.
“I’m honored to serve with Attorney General Bondi on the Florida Cabinet, and fully support her efforts to combat our state and nation’s opioid epidemic.”
