Pill mill

[4][5] According to investigating authorities and scientists, such facilities come in different shapes and sizes, but for them it is important to give the impression that they are independent pain treatment centres.

[7] The Canadian-born doctor established an office specializing in pain treatment in South Shore, Kentucky near Portsmouth, Ohio in 1979.

His business expanded with the advent of OxyContin (active ingredient: Oxycodone), the blockbuster of the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma.

[9] Pill mills subsequently spread to other states,[5] including for instance West Virginia,[10] Texas,[11] New Mexico,[12] and New York.

[15] Drug abuse leads to increasing numbers of cases in emergency rooms, cost-intensive treatment of addictions and frequent overdose deaths.

For this reason, a large number of police operations,[17] measures by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)[18] and closures of these facilities[19] have occurred.

[30] The documentary The Pharmacist, released on Netflix in 2020, shows how Dan Schneider uncovered a pill mill in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana through private investigations.

A pill mill in Jasper, Alabama , [ 1 ] DEA photo from 2015
Customers at a pill mill in Florida, which was operated by Jeff and Chris George , wait on the sidewalk until it's their turn. Surveillance footage from the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office.