GA targeting rogue pain clinic owners

Clinics that specialize in dispensing prescription painkillers would fall under more scrutiny under a bill House lawmakers passed Monday targeting the illegal drug trade. The legislation now heads to the state Senate. The bill steps up enforcement on clinics getting most of their money by prescribing large number of narcotic painkillers to patients, sometimes addicts, for little or no medical reason. The Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency estimates that the number of suspect clinics has jumped from none a few years ago to about 150 now. Crackdowns in neighboring states likely drove clinics to Georgia.