CNN 2011-06-03

Cross-country now.In Brevard County, Florida, Memorial Day turned into a war against jellyfish. Brevard County Ocean Rescue says more than 800 people were stung from Cocoa Beach to Cape 1 Canaveral.

Maricopa County, Arizona, the man who built himself as America's toughest sheriff may run for the Senate, U.S. Senate that is. Joe Arpaio says he's raised $5 million without even trying. That's a quote from him. The sheriff says he might run for senator, Jon Kyl's seat in 2012. Kyl is retiring.

It's something I'm looking at. And it comes up all the time. So, I'm not going to make my decision yet. I'll make it pretty soon. I don't have to be a U.S. senator to get a little press in Washington D.C.

No, he really doesn't.

And the royal newlyweds will spend three days in Los Angeles as part of their first North American tour. Will and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will spend eight days touring Canada before ending their visit in L.A. July 8th, 9th and 10th.

A palace spokesman calls it a working visit. They will be raising money for charity.

This week, we are going in depth on medication nation. Americans have been led to believe by doctors and advertisers in the pharmaceutical 2 industry that there's a pill to cure just about everything. CNN networks have looked into the politics and the pills.

Today, John Zarrella reports on Florida's pill mill problem.

On the side of a busy Hollywood, Florida road, a memorial. Rene Doyle comes here once a week.

And he was laying on the road covered. I didn't know it was him.

A couple of years ago on a December evening, Rene's son, Blaine, out of his mind with pain pills, she says, walked into traffic, was hit and killed. Rene is a nurse. She is not sure when her son's addiction 3 began. Ultimately, he was hooked on a prescription 4 drug cocktail 5.

The combination of oxycodone with methadone and Xanax.

In Florida, satisfying his habit was easy. He would doctor shop, going from one pill mill to the next where no one asked questions.

The amounts are ridiculous. They would give him 240 of 30 milligram Oxies and an additional 120 of 15 milligrams of Oxy at one visit.

So you're talking 360 pills?

Yeah. And 90 Xanax and go on to another pill mill.

Broward County was the epicenter for painkiller 6 pill mills. There were 27 just in one city, Oakland Park. Police conducted raids. As soon as one was shut down, another would open. People from across the southeastern United States came here for pills. Florida became known as the Oxycontin Express.

In a six month time frame alone, in two counties in Florida, Broward and Palm Beach, over nine million oxycodone pills were dispensed 7.

Rondi, Florida's newly elected attorney general made it her mission to get legislation passed that would shut down the pill mills.

Mike DeWine, the attorney general in Ohio, called me and said, Pam, they're flying down from Ohio to Florida. Help us. You've got to stop this problem.A pill mill bill passed in the Florida legislature. It stops doctors from dispensing 8 painkillers 9 in their offices or clinics. Surgeons and hospices are exempt 10. It establishes a drug-monitoring database where pharmacies 11 will enter information on painkiller prescriptions 12 aimed at stopping doctor shopping.

The majority of the 50 states now have a database. And on the federal level a bill has been introduced that doubles from 10 to 20 years the prison sentence for anyone convicted of running a pill mill. And it imposes a $3 million fine.

On a side street in Ft. Lauderdale across from a pain clinic, people gather. Many are mothers who meet once a month outside a different pain clinic. Rene Doyle is among them. The signs they hold up carry pictures of sons or daughters who died from an overdose. They blame the doctors who made it so easy.

As far as I'm concerned, they're murderers. They're truly murderous. These doctors have no conscience.

The mothers vow 13 to continue their monthly rallies until not a single pill mill remains 14.

John Zarrella, CNN, Hollywood Florida.