While the fight against prescription drug abuse is nothing new to Florida, there's now a statewide initiative aimed at preventing babies from being born addicted to pain pills.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi , the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health and members from the Statewide Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse and Newborns introduced the Born Drug Free Florida campaign today. Their motto: A Babies Life shouldn't begin with Detox.
In Florida, 7 out of every 1,000 babies are born addicted to drugs. Bondi said she had no idea of the scope of the problem until she was contact by the Saint Joseph's Hospital in Tampa.
"I came down and sadly got to meet one of these babies, and see one of these babies. And it changes your life" Bondi said. "And let me stress, this is not about taking babies away from their mother its about keeping them together, and that is why we are doing this."
The organization's first steps will involve a statewide Public Service Announcement and Billboard Campaign. Bondi says she wants to make Florida the model for the rest of the Nation in the battle against prescription drug abuse. More information is online at www.borndrugfreefl.com.
