Pubdate: Sat, 12 Oct 2002
Source: Brunswick News, The (GA)
Copyright: 2002 The Brunswick News
Contact: http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/brunswick/email/email.tbn
Website: http://www.thebrunswicknews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1901
Author: Karen Sloan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone)

PAINKILLER ADDICTION LEADING TO CRIME, ABUSE

Its official brand name is OxyContin, but it has several pseudonyms on the 
street, such as Oxycotten and even Hillbilly Heroin.

Unlike heroin, OxyContin is a legal prescription drug. What is becoming 
more apparent to local law enforcement and pharmacists alike is that this 
legal drug is being used in ways that no doctor would ever prescribe.

"I would definitely consider it to be a hot street item," said Fred White, 
a pharmacist at Eckerd Drugs in Lanier Plaza, Brunswick. "I would also say 
that it is addictive."

OxyContin is a powerful painkiller, a derivative of morphine, that is often 
prescribed to patients suffering from cancer, severe arthritis, sickle cell 
disease or nerve damage.

While the drug provides much needed pain relief to those who are in genuine 
need, it has also been linked with crime, addiction and severe abuse.

The drug has become infamous in small communities throughout Kentucky, 
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Maine, according to the 
U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center.

It appears that Glynn County is not immune.

It is a reality that Richard Griffis, owner of Rainbow Drugs on New Jesup 
Highway, has been forced to face. His store was broken into Aug. 6, and he 
suspects that the burglars were after OxyContin.

"I have considered not stocking the drug at all, but we fill prescriptions 
for hospice patients, who really need it for the pain," said Griffis. 
"We're in between a rock and a hard place on this one."

According to a Glynn County Police report, the burglar threw a large block 
of concrete through a window of the store and went behind the counter in 
search of drugs.

"The suspect rummaged through the pill bottles on the shelves behind the 
counter," reads the report.

While the intruder did not get away with any OxyContin, Griffis thinks it 
was probably what he was after. Griffis has since stepped up security at 
his store to ensure that a similar incident does not reoccur.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Georgia had the 
fifth highest rate of OxyContin pharmacy thefts in the nation between 2000 
and 2001.

In areas with significant OxyContin abuse, theft has become a highly 
visible problem.

One of the most disturbing cases occurred in Winthrop, Mass., on Jan. 7, 
when two armed men robbed a nursing home and demanded the entire OxyContin 
supply.

Thefts have occurred in Glynn County as well.

On Sept. 30, a thief broke into a 2000 Ford F150 parked in front of Eckerd 
Drugs at Lanier Plaza and stole $200 of OxyContin and $25 of Hydrocodone 
pills, another powerful painkiller.

"We have had several instances of theft here in Glynn County, but the 
problem is not as big as it is in some other places," said Lt. Terry Wright 
of the Brunswick Glynn Narcotics Enforcement Team.

According to Wright, the way most OxyContin finds its way to the streets is 
through fraudulent prescriptions.

"Some people start out having a legal prescription, but it's an addictive 
drug, and they might start phoning in forged prescriptions," said Wright.

In other cases, people steal prescription pads from doctor's offices and 
write themselves illegal prescriptions.

According to Wright, the Narcotics Enforcement Team works closely with the 
pharmacists in the county to try and curb forged prescriptions.

The pharmacy will often call doctors to verify prescriptions. If a 
prescription is found to be forged, the pharmacy contacts the police, who 
will then arrest the person.

"You can be arrested for this, and not only will you be charged with 
illegal possession, but you can be charged with forgery as well," said Wright.

Another problem that Wright and Griffis often see is people who exaggerate 
their pain to get legal prescriptions for OxyContin. They then turn around 
and sell the pills on the street for a substantial profit.

Wright and Griffis both cite unscrupulous doctors as another source of 
OxyContin proliferation on the streets.

"There are some doctors out there who will pretty much order up whatever 
you want," said Wright. "We work very closely with the state agencies that 
oversee doctors to try and stop this."

Adding to the problem is the fact that there is a lot of money to be made 
in the illegal dealing of OxyContin.

A single 40-milligram pill costs about $4.40, but can sell for up to $40 on 
the street.

Griffis said he had heard reports that the drug sells for about $1 per 
milliliter illegally. According to Wright, a single pill might cost 
anywhere from $20 to $30, making it a pricey high.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom