Pubdate: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2005 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329 Author: Nelly Elayoubi, Ottawa Sun DRUG TRACKING NEEDED: STUDY Experts Call For Prescription Database Abuse of prescription drugs is a problem across Canada and a nationwide monitoring system of the drugs is needed, a new study suggests. Opiate-based drugs for pain relief, sedatives and amphetamines are a popular means to get high. A pill can be crushed and snorted, or mixed with a solvent and injected, producing the same effect as drugs like heroin. It's not something new, but is highlighted as one of six key issues by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) in its 45-page report released this week called Substance Abuse in Canada: Current Challenges and Choices. Other areas examined in the report are new directions in alcohol policy, harm reduction, drugs and driving, availability and use of evidence-based treatment and alternative sanctions for cannabis use and possession. Although it's widely accepted that abuse of prescription drugs is a problem, John Weekes, senior research analyst for CCSA, said the extent is unknown. "Our suspicion is yes, it's a problem and may be a serious one, but unfortunately the statistics are lacking in Canada," Weekes said. He pointed to the U.S. and Australia as examples of countries that have national household surveys on prescription drug abuse. The U.S. also has the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), providing an ongoing sense of what types of prescription drugs are abused. These are initiatives Weekes would like to see practised in Canada. Currently, indirect information, such as the number of admissions to treatment, emergency room admissions and coroner reports, is the only means to determine how widespread abuse of prescription drugs is. NO NATIONAL PROGRAM With cases of "doctor shopping" -- where a person gets multiple prescriptions from different doctors -- a national database to track prescriptions is essential, Weekes said. While five provinces have implemented prescription tracking programs, Ontario is not one of them. Another area that needs heavy monitoring is the production, distribution and administrative chain of drugs. With high mark-ups on the street price, economic incentives are appealing. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin