Pubdate: Sun, 22 Feb 2004
Source: Halifax Herald (CN NS)
Copyright: 2004 The Halifax Herald Limited
Contact:  http://www.herald.ns.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180

IN OXY PIT

DRUG TRAFFICKERS will try anything to get past this country's defences. 
We've all heard of human "mules" swallowing cocaine-filled condoms to elude 
Customs or of shipping containers arriving on our shores packed with drugs 
hidden in hollowed-out food items.

Addicts, too, will try just about anything to get their fixes. And these 
days, it's not just illegal narcotics they're looking to score, but 
prescription drugs.

Last year, a Glace Bay woman was sentenced to two years in jail for holding 
up a drugstore - albeit apologetically - with a knife. She didn't walk out 
of the pharmacy with a bag full of cash, but a garbage bag full of 
OxyContin, the painkiller she was hooked on.

Other addicts and their suppliers are more creative - and sinister. As The 
Sunday Herald reported last June, they monitor the obituaries section of 
the newspaper and break into the homes of deceased cancer patients while 
their families are attending the funeral. Then the burglars rifle through 
the house looking for leftover painkillers like OxyContin, which they can 
use or sell, for up to $80 a pill on the street.

Prescription drug abuse is a growing scourge in many communities. It is a 
catalyst for despicable crimes, in which the ailing, the elderly and the 
vulnerable often become prime targets. It is a tragedy, too, for addicts 
and their families. This past week in Cape Breton, the deaths of three men 
- - two of them brothers - were linked to prescription drug abuse.

So, what are we doing about it?

Many pharmacists have locked away sought-after painkillers under lock and 
key, and keep only a day's supply on hand. But physicians are the ones who 
can really turn off the tap. Police believe the majority of OxyContin that 
ends up on the street comes from legitimate prescriptions, and they have 
criticized doctors for liberally dispensing such drugs. Some patients sell 
the pills they don't immediately need on the black market for a handsome 
profit.

A Newfoundland and Labrador task force looking into OxyContin abuse in that 
province echoes similar concerns about overprescribing in its interim 
report this month. "Initial data gathered by the task force indicates that 
the quantity of OxyContin tablets prescribed and dispensed in this province 
has increased by 400 per cent from 2000 to 2003. This rapid growth is not 
unlike any other provinces in Canada, however, Newfoundland and Labrador is 
showing an increasing trend in the prescriptions for higher strengths."

The report does note that the medical profession's philosophy of pain 
management has changed with the advent of better pain-relief drugs that 
have fewer of the drawbacks associated with traditional narcotics.

Obviously, there are some legitimate reasons for the spike in 
prescriptions, and blaming irresponsible doctors is far too simplistic. One 
cannot lose sight of the fact most patients who get these drugs need them - 
and some who live in rural areas need them in larger quantities because 
it's impractical for them to return to the drugstore every week. One should 
be wary of conducting witchhunts of doctors - as has happened in the U.S. - 
based on the volume of painkillers they prescribe.

Far more useful is the province's prescription monitoring program, which 
aims to root out double-doctoring - the practice of patients visiting 
several physicians so they can acquire multiple prescriptions.

Right now, the province relies on a mail-in system to spot repeat 
offenders, but the lag time is two weeks. Computerization of the service 
would give doctors crucial information in real time. Encouragingly, Premier 
John Hamm seems open to this idea.

The Newfoundland task force, whose final report is expected March 31, also 
recommends tamper-resistant prescription pads for narcotics, plus a major 
push to educate youth, doctors and pharmacists about OxyContin abuse.

There is little point in Nova Scotia setting up its own task force - as 
Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Edgar MacLeod suggests - when it is 
likely to arrive at the same basic conclusion as Newfoundland's. We could 
save ourselves time, money and grief by following through on their 
recommendations posthaste.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman