AL East players linked to PED clinic (Yankee and new Blue Jay)

[ChaosLex]

@JonHeymanCBS

arod, melky, gio gonzalez, nelson cruz linked to ped clinic, via miami new times (& @injuryexpert) bit.ly/TR11uG

Ruh roh!

[luismatos4prez]

Oh no. Not Gio. I really liked watching him pitch this year.

Melky and ARod could be the least unexpected thing I've heard all week though.

Then check out the main column, where their real names flash like an all-star roster of professional athletes with Miami ties: San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, Oakland A's hurler Bartolo Colon, pro tennis player Wayne Odesnik, budding Cuban superstar boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Texas Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz. There's even the New York Yankees' $275 million man himself, Alex Rodriguez, who has sworn he stopped juicing a decade ago.

Read further and you'll find more than a dozen other baseball pros, from former University of Miami ace Cesar Carrillo to Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal to Washington Nationals star Gio Gonzalez. Notable coaches are there too, including UM baseball conditioning guru Jimmy Goins.

Link

[srock]

Some tidbits regarding South Florida and prescription drugs.

My wife recently graduated from a South Florida Pharmacy school. During her time in the Rx world she picked all sorts of tidbits about the local market down there. For instance, did you know its estimated 70% (i'll look it up later) of all black market prescription drugs (think Oxy's on the street) originate from Florida Pharmacies?

At least two independent pharmacies where busted for distributing pain medications prescribed by 'cash' only doctors. The premise is simple, Doctor sets up a store front, often a Pain Clinic. You walk in and hand him $300 cash and he writes a script for whatever you want. Doctor says take it down the street to Phakey Pharmacy where they fill it no questions asked. Cash only transactions mean there is no flag on any of this, because....

Controlled substances are tracked by Insurance companies. You can't fill the same script at two different pharmacies if you run it through insurance because the Insurance company will flag it and won't pay. Cash only does NOT get tracked. You can fill it at as many Pharmacies as will go along with it (legit pharmacies won't fill questionable scripts for controlled substances).

Some states have Controlled Substance tracking systems, but this legislation was shot down in Florida by the new Governor a few years back (it was quite the controversy because he lots of financial backing from the Pharma lobby).

In my opinion if Florida isn't able (or possibly willing) to stop Rx narcotics from being easily distributed, why would they care about something so relatively docile as athletes procuring less dangerous substances like HGH.

Update: I didn't find the 70% quote exactly but this article is a pretty detailed description of the problem.

[murph]

Some tidbits regarding South Florida and prescription drugs.

My wife recently graduated from a South Florida Pharmacy school. During her time in the Rx world she picked all sorts of tidbits about the local market down there. For instance, did you know its estimated 70% (i'll look it up later) of all black market prescription drugs (think Oxy's on the street) originate from Florida Pharmacies?

At least two independent pharmacies where busted for distributing pain medications prescribed by 'cash' only doctors. The premise is simple, Doctor sets up a store front, often a Pain Clinic. You walk in and hand him $300 cash and he writes a script for whatever you want. Doctor says take it down the street to Phakey Pharmacy where they fill it no questions asked. Cash only transactions mean there is no flag on any of this, because....

Controlled substances are tracked by Insurance companies. You can't fill the same script at two different pharmacies if you run it through insurance because the Insurance company will flag it and won't pay. Cash only does NOT get tracked. You can fill it at as many Pharmacies as will go along with it (legit pharmacies won't fill questionable scripts for controlled substances).

Some states have Controlled Substance tracking systems, but this legislation was shot down in Florida by the new Governor a few years back (it was quite the controversy because he lots of financial backing from the Pharma lobby).

In my opinion if Florida isn't able (or possibly willing) to stop Rx narcotics from being easily distributed, why would they care about something so relatively docile as athletes procuring less dangerous substances like HGH.

Update: I didn't find the 70% quote exactly but this article is a pretty detailed description of the problem.

Check with your wife, but I think a major drug wholesaler (Cardinal, I believe) was shut down by the DEA from sending narcotics to any pharmacy in Florida for a brief time period. I agree that state has little concern over PED use in comparison.

Edit: Actually it was easy enough to find... http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-29/cardinal-health-painkillers-florida/53307498/1

[waroriole]

Some tidbits regarding South Florida and prescription drugs.

My wife recently graduated from a South Florida Pharmacy school. During her time in the Rx world she picked all sorts of tidbits about the local market down there. For instance, did you know its estimated 70% (i'll look it up later) of all black market prescription drugs (think Oxy's on the street) originate from Florida Pharmacies?

At least two independent pharmacies where busted for distributing pain medications prescribed by 'cash' only doctors. The premise is simple, Doctor sets up a store front, often a Pain Clinic. You walk in and hand him $300 cash and he writes a script for whatever you want. Doctor says take it down the street to Phakey Pharmacy where they fill it no questions asked. Cash only transactions mean there is no flag on any of this, because....

Controlled substances are tracked by Insurance companies. You can't fill the same script at two different pharmacies if you run it through insurance because the Insurance company will flag it and won't pay. Cash only does NOT get tracked. You can fill it at as many Pharmacies as will go along with it (legit pharmacies won't fill questionable scripts for controlled substances).

Some states have Controlled Substance tracking systems, but this legislation was shot down in Florida by the new Governor a few years back (it was quite the controversy because he lots of financial backing from the Pharma lobby).

In my opinion if Florida isn't able (or possibly willing) to stop Rx narcotics from being easily distributed, why would they care about something so relatively docile as athletes procuring less dangerous substances like HGH.

Update: I didn't find the 70% quote exactly but this article is a pretty detailed description of the problem.

Good stuff. Not trying to get political here, but the more I read about Rick Scott the more disgusted I become.

[lovetoaster]

Some tidbits regarding South Florida and prescription drugs...

Sounds about right. I always knew it was a pretty big issue, but I watched a documentary on it last year and the scope was very surprising to me. People from many states traveling to Florida to score prescription drugs and heading right back. If one "doctor" did not give them a prescription for whatever reason, they just went to the "doctor" in the strip mall across the street.

[Can_of_corn]

Sounds about right. I always knew it was a pretty big issue, but I watched a documentary on it last year and the scope was very surprising to me. People from many states traveling to Florida to score prescription drugs and heading right back. If one "doctor" did not give them a prescription for whatever reason, they just went to the "doctor" in the strip mall across the street.

It is an obvious issue to those of us living down here. A few decades ago the chains moved in and crushed all the mom and pop pharmacies. Classic story, happens all over in a lot of types of businesses. Recently micro-pharmacies have sprung up like weeds down here. Pretty obvious that something unusual was going on that these types of business were suddenly profitable considering the deals you can get on prescriptions at the big competitors.

[bobmc]

Some tidbits regarding South Florida and prescription drugs.

My wife recently graduated from a South Florida Pharmacy school. During her time in the Rx world she picked all sorts of tidbits about the local market down there. For instance, did you know its estimated 70% (i'll look it up later) of all black market prescription drugs (think Oxy's on the street) originate from Florida Pharmacies?

At least two independent pharmacies where busted for distributing pain medications prescribed by 'cash' only doctors. The premise is simple, Doctor sets up a store front, often a Pain Clinic. You walk in and hand him $300 cash and he writes a script for whatever you want. Doctor says take it down the street to Phakey Pharmacy where they fill it no questions asked. Cash only transactions mean there is no flag on any of this, because....

Controlled substances are tracked by Insurance companies. You can't fill the same script at two different pharmacies if you run it through insurance because the Insurance company will flag it and won't pay. Cash only does NOT get tracked. You can fill it at as many Pharmacies as will go along with it (legit pharmacies won't fill questionable scripts for controlled substances).

Some states have Controlled Substance tracking systems, but this legislation was shot down in Florida by the new Governor a few years back (it was quite the controversy because he lots of financial backing from the Pharma lobby).

In my opinion if Florida isn't able (or possibly willing) to stop Rx narcotics from being easily distributed, why would they care about something so relatively docile as athletes procuring less dangerous substances like HGH.

Update: I didn't find the 70% quote exactly but this article is a pretty detailed description of the problem.

Sounds about right. I always knew it was a pretty big issue, but I watched a documentary on it last year and the scope was very surprising to me. People from many states traveling to Florida to score prescription drugs and heading right back. If one "doctor" did not give them a prescription for whatever reason, they just went to the "doctor" in the strip mall across the street.

It is an obvious issue to those of us living down here. A few decades ago the chains moved in and crushed all the mom and pop pharmacies. Classic story, happens all over in a lot of types of businesses. Recently micro-pharmacies have sprung up like weeds down here. Pretty obvious that something unusual was going on that these types of business were suddenly profitable considering the deals you can get on prescriptions at the big competitors.

No - not my Florida....:slytf:

[srock]

It is an obvious issue to those of us living down here. A few decades ago the chains moved in and crushed all the mom and pop pharmacies. Classic story, happens all over in a lot of types of businesses. Recently micro-pharmacies have sprung up like weeds down here. Pretty obvious that something unusual was going on that these types of business were suddenly profitable considering the deals you can get on prescriptions at the big competitors.

Yes competition from the big chains has certainly put pressure on the independents to find new revenue streams. Many switched to compounding things like hormone replacement therapy. Compounding testosterone for grandma is only a step away from making anabolic steroids for athletes.

A pharmacist told me owning your own pharmacy in Miami could make you a living if you ran it well. But if you wanted to make enough money to warrant your massive student loan burden, you had better be willing to bend the law if not outright ignore it.

[Crazysilver03]

MLB is discussing 50 game suspensions for the players listed. It will be interesting if players already suspended for PED use like Colon and Grandal will be suspended again.

[srock]

No - not my Florida....:slytf:

Sorry Bob, but Florida isn't all big fish, sunny days, golf, and plastic women. But is a big part of the experience.

Aren't you in Clearwater? If so you get the Scientology experience to boot!

[Can_of_corn]

MLB is discussing 50 game suspensions for the players listed. It will be interesting if players already suspended for PED use like Colon and Grandal will be suspended again.

I would think the timing would be the key. If they received a shipment after they were suspended then by all means suspend them again.

[Can_of_corn]

Sorry Bob, but Florida isn't all big fish, sunny days, golf, and plastic women. But is a big part of the experience.

Aren't you in Clearwater? If so you get the Scientology experience to boot!

The Scientologists don't make waves in Clearwater.

[hayek]

Good stuff. Not trying to get political here, but the more I read about Rick Scott the more disgusted I become.

Not trying to get political, but who cares if some junkies are getting their fix via semi-reputable pharmacies. Better than getting it on some shady Miami back alley. No innocents are being harmed so far as i can tell.

[murph]

Not trying to get political, but who cares if some junkies are getting their fix via semi-reputable pharmacies. Better than getting it on some shady Miami back alley. No innocents are being harmed so far as i can tell.

Except it has the DEA cracking down so hard on wholesalers and pharmacies, it is getting hard to get enough pain killers to fill legit prescriptions for those truly in need at times. There is always an effect in these situations.