More than 18 months ago, Florida lawmakers passed a law to help cut the pipeline of pain pills coming from their state to Kentucky's streets.

But the prescription-monitoring system it mandated might not be in place for months, and there are concerns about continued funding for the program when it is up and running.

Meanwhile, pills from the Sunshine State continue to flow into Kentucky, feeding the state's debilitating drug problem, authorities here say.

"Florida dope's still a huge problem," said Dan Smoot, law enforcement director for Operation UNITE, which does drug investigations in 29 Eastern and southern Kentucky counties.

It's not clear when that will change.

It has become routine over the past four years for addicts and drug traffickers from Kentucky to travel to clinics in other states to get prescriptions for pain pills and anti-depressants, then bring back the narcotics to sell or abuse.

That has been a particular problem in Eastern Kentucky, with vanloads of people making the trip of 14 hours or more to South Florida clinics.

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