Pubdate: Sun, 16 Nov 2003 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2003 Richmond Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://www.timesdispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365 Author: Joe Dombroski Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone) QUICK RELEASE HIGH: ADDICTS USE LEGAL DRUG OXYCONTIN TO SERVE ILLEGAL PURPOSES Most people, when in the care of a doctor and receiving prescription medication to treat severe pain, do not think about becoming a "junkie." But a drug such as OxyContin can turn anyone into an addict in a short period of time. OxyContin is the brand name of a time-release analgesic medicine known as Oxycondone. OxyContin is produced as a legitimate pharmaceutical and distributed in tablet form by Purdue Pharma. The drug is prescribed by doctors to patients as a pain medication. The drug is used to manage the pain of terminal cancer, chronic back/disc problems, ad-vanced forms of arthritis, and any number of chronic pain disorders. The drug depresses the central nervous system and provides a state of euphoria/drowsiness, relieving pain. The drug causes respiration to slow, the pupils of the eyes to constrict, nausea, and drowsiness. OxyContin is a narcotic drug in the same family as heroin, which possesses a high potential for physical and psychological dependence, even when prescribed by a responsible physician. Abuse in Virginia Hillbilly Heroin, Redneck Heroin, Oxy, High Cotton, and OxyCotton are the street names for OxyContin. In Virginia the abuse of OxyContin is concentrated heavily in Southwest Virginia. The users are overwhelmingly white males and females of every socio-economic level. The illegal use of OxyContin began in the poor white communities of southwest Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee in the late 1990s. Heroin is not readily available in those areas, so "Oxy" quickly filled the void. Today people at every level of society have fallen victim to the powerful addictive properties of this drug. The primary avenues of diversion for illegal use are pharmacy robberies, health care fraud, prescription fraud, over-prescribing by physicians, and illicit international traffic. Richmond area police have reported pharmacy robberies where the armed suspects have demanded the store's entire supply of OxyContin. In Southwest Virginia the DEA Diversion Unit, working jointly with the Virginia State Police, indicted and arrested eight doctors for prescribing thousands of OxyContin tablets under fraudulent circumstances. Local and State Police Narcotic Units have arrested many individuals for attempting to obtain prescriptions of the drug by fraud or deception. Used in Three Ways When OxyContin is purchased at a pharmacy, one 10-milligram tablet costs $1.25 and an 80-milligram tablet cost $6. When purchased illegally on the street that same 10-milligram tablet will cost $5-$6 and the 80-milligram tablet will cost $65-$80. This illegal distribution of OxyContin is as profitable as the distribution of many illegal drugs. Once on the street, the drug is used in three ways to achieve a high: Users will either chew the tablet, breaking down the time-release property; crush the tablet and snort the powder; or dissolve the tablet in water and inject the drug like heroin to achieve the most rapid and intense high. All three of these methods defeat the time-release action of the drug and allow for the high to take effect quickly. The high from OxyContin lasts from three to 12 hours, depending on the strength of the dose. The continued use of OxyContin can cause long-term physical dependence, which requires sustained medical treatment to cure. In response to the growing concern among federal, state, and local officials about the dramatic increase in the illicit availability and abuse of OxycCntin, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has begun a comprehensive effort to prevent its diversion for street distribution and abuse. These efforts involve working closely with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and National Association of Sheriffs by sharing data, hosting training sessions, and assisting in drug-diversion investigations of OxyContin. Public awareness programs are underway to educate the community on the dangers of OxyContin. The DEA, together with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, have included OxyContin in their public-service announcements and advertisements relative to drug abuse and prevention. A Serious Problem The abuse of OxyContin is fast becoming a serious nationwide problem. We must raise the attention of the medical community, law enforcement, and the public to focus on the misuse of this legal drug and protect members of our families from this threat. This is not just a teenage drug problem. It spans all ages and every level of our society. My hope is that once high-profile people such as Rush Limbaugh recover from their addiction through medical treatment, they will use their gifts of persuasion to tell the story about the addictive power of this drug. Our best weapon for mass education of the public can be from the "Golden EIB Microphone" to 20 million weekly listeners and their families. We can stem the abuse of this powerful narcotic with raised awareness. Mega-Dittos, Rush, Godspeed! Joe Dombroski, a Richmond-area enforcement supervisor for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is a 2003 Commentary Columnist. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh