WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush warned Wednesday that physicians are prescribing too many drugs for their patients, and called for “strong, strong enforcement” against “bad actors” to crack down on the problem.
Bush’s comments came during a campaign meet-and-greet at a pharmacy in Hollis, N.H., where the former Florida governor recalled his daughter Noelle’s struggles with substance abuse more than a decade ago. She was arrested in 2002 on charges of trying to fill a false prescription.
“A lot of us have had family issues related to drug addition. My precious daughter was caught in a pharmacy actually,” Bush said. “And there are bad actors where you have people that over-prescribe, you have people pharmacy shopping, doctor shopping. It’s a lucrative business when people commit these crimes, and there should be strong, strong enforcement.”
