Morning Read: prescription drug abuse on the rise regionally
More and more people across northern New York and Vermont are addicted to prescription drugs like OxyContin and Fentanyl. They’re opiates,and abuse of these drugs is tied to a rise in crime. Saranac Lake village police chief Bruce Nelson told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise that
“prescription drug abuse has been a factor in 27 percent of the arrests [by Saranac Lake village police] so far this year.”
“‘It’s grown so fast it’s like you’re in a tidal wave,’ Shumlin aide Susan Bartlett told the Burlington Free Press.
Addicts often “doctor-shop,” going to different medical care providers and feigning symptoms so they can get drugs to support their habit. Prescription drugs are also sold on the street.
In Vermont, Governor Peter Shumlin’s administration is trying to come up with a plan to curb opiate abuse. One part of that plan may include giving police access to the state Health Department’s prescription drug monitoring network, which is right now only available to medical providers and the Health Department. What do you think? Should patients’ privacy be protected, or should the police be able to monitor and track controlled substances? And has prescription drug abuse had an effect on your community?
Tags: criminal justice, health
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How about we be progressive and create opiate treatment facilities that provide low doses to addicts similar to heroin treatment programs in Europe? You know, something other than what will inevitably be failed and costly interdiction, prosecution, and incarceration programs currently in place for other restricted and illegal substances.
To put it another way, if we follow the same ineffective and costly procedures we utilize for use/abuse of drugs like marijuana or cocaine, we will fail miserably with opiate addiction as well.
Doctor shopping only works because we don’t have a single-payer medical records system, where your prescription history would be available to all physicians you would see. That would help a lot with old folks, too, who frequently see multiple physicians, and don’t remember all the meds they are on, and end up taking bad combinations of meds.
Current medical practice is that if someone comes into the ER complaining of pain they get treated and not second guessed, even if its pretty obvious that all they want is drugs. Sometimes they actually get admitted to the hospitals.
It would be better, as If Clapton says, to have a simple outpatient facility – either a drug treatment facility or just a cheaper legalized drug delivery system.
Ah, yes, the war on drugs.
How about a war on drug manufacturers and the prices they charge?
How about all drugs including those banned be sold to everyone and anyone and let those who want to kill themselves kill themselves?
Everything is a war in this country and its getting to be really boring.
So how many prescription drug addicts were there 20 years ago? This is a direct result of big pharma pushing opiates. Unlike underground drugs these drugs are profit centers for large US corporations and they have just flooded our communities.
But I agree to solve the problem we need much much better access to treatment and detox facilities, you can’t just quite these drugs once you are addicted, in general you need a medical detox and treatment. We also need the supply to be shut of, the fact is the medical field does not need this many pain medications this was a demand created by the biggest dope pushers in the US; the phram. corporations.
Well, I don’t see big pharmaceutical companies losing their sway with the FDA or losing profits any time soon, so it seems like all we can do is try to help the people who have gotten themselves into these horrible cycles of prescription drug addiction. My son was on Oxy for years after an accident, and he tried to quit many times…the only thing that finally worked for him was an inpatient rehab center here in Louisiana ( http://www.drugrehabs.info/louisiana-drug-rehabs/ ). If he hadn’t had professional help he might be dead today, I thank god for the folks who got him through detox every day.
I am so glad for your son and family.
Most of these drugs are prescribed by the medical profession and pushed by corporations, it truly is a unique situation. Very few people realize how addicting these drugs really are. You spend one month taking prescription pain pills every day and you will have to endure physical withdrawl if you stop. People are getting hooked on what is essentially heroin by the legal medical profession.
I agree once the floodgates are opened on legalizing these sorts of drugs you have a hard time closing them, so for certain we need to provide more detox and treatment centers. Where do you go in Ogdensburg if you are hooked on Oxy and who will pay for that? You won’t find treatment in st. lawrence county and you can wait in line for some downstate treatment center. If you are poor you are basically out of luck; so you keep on using.
I don’t understand why we spend so much time worried about eradicating opium production in Afghanistan when the largest opium based suppliers to US citizens are US companies and doctors.
Your personal experience says it all, Rachel…..Clearly we have to make changes in our drug policy, treatment, health care, etc. I’m glad your son was able to get the help he needed and I hope he’s doing well. Thanks for sharing what must be a very personal struggle. Again, if that doesn’t illustrate what’s completely insane about this issue. Sorry, now I’m rambling…And excellent points, Mervel.
One more thing. I ask you all, would not sane, practical, compassionate drug policy at the federal, state and local level be a tremendous job creator? Think big picture, everyone. Ah, the possibilities……..
It is true though knuckle. I mean what is the lost economic value of a life? It would be a great investment in our “infrastructure” to really make treatment affordable and available across the country.
That sounds socialist, Mervel. Why do you hate America?:)
Everyone is a socialist when they are sick.