MIAMI (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union is looking for answers after it says confidential prescription drug information for 3,300 patients stored in a statewide database has landed in the hands of a third party.
The ACLU alleges the leaked information includes patient's prescriptions, birthdates, addresses and other private information. The information was given to prosecutors and defense attorneys in Volusia County, but ACLU said Tuesday that someone who was not part of any criminal investigation randomly found out their prescription information was among those leaked.
Florida lawmakers approved the database in 2009 to track painkillers and other highly abused drugs to crack down on the state's pill mill epidemic. The controversial database struggled to get off the ground due to a lengthy vendor dispute and funding issues. Doctors and pharmacists started getting data from this system in late 2011.
