According to a report released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, prescription drug overdoses have fallen in the state. The biggest decline was associated with deaths related to the widely abused prescription drug oxycodone.
Last year, oxycodone deaths dropped by nearly 18%, while overall prescription-drug overdoses fell by a little more than 6%.
Florida officials say it's a direct result of the state's actions to crackdown on pill mills. But despite the decline in deaths related to painkillers, overall drug-related deaths increased last year.
The state attributes most of that to fatalities related to alcohol and cocaine as well as drugs prescribed for anxiety and insomnia, such as Xanax.
The head of the FDLE says some believe addicts who are having a harder time getting oxycodone are turning to other drugs, but he stresses that's only speculation.