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Drug Diversion and Abuse: Diversion in the Pharmacy

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A recent post on our list server from a pharmacist in West Virginia indicated that he had just discovered a theft in his pharmacy. Apparently, he noticed sometime after a delivery that many of his CII prescription bottles had been slit on the side, with a quantity of pills missing from each bottle.

Varying strengths of oxycodone and oxymorphone had been removed from the bottles prior to their delivery. A check with at least one other pharmacy near his with the same delivery driver revealed CII bottles with the same slit just below the foil seal. The pharmacist immediately notified the wholesaler, but wanted to know what he should do next. [Read more…]

Drug Diversion and Abuse: Keeping Pharmacies Safe

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Although this column has addressed pharmacy robberies and burglaries in the past, it seems that periodic reminders may be important. These crimes do not appear to be going away any time soon—and especially with robberies, they represent a significant threat to the safety and wellbeing of pharmacy employees.

A pharmacy robbery is when an individual(s) comes into your pharmacy with a weapon, or the threat of a weapon, demanding controlled substances. As I have commented many times before in this column, this individual is potentially very dangerous, and you as a pharmacy employee need to be extremely careful as to how you deal with the demands. The suggestion is that you always give this individual whatever drugs or money he or she is demanding to reduce the risk of some form of violence occurring. Your safety is paramount. [Read more…]

Health Facility Nightmare

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An issue that has been addressed in this column on more than one occasion is the diversion of controlled substances from health facilities. I am usually discussing not only the horrors that can occur in our nation’s health facilities, but the common practice of those criminal acts not being reported to law enforcement or even regulatory boards. Unfortunately, many times the practice is to dismiss or accept the resignation of the violating health professional. This opens the door for abuse at the employee’s next facility and fails to address the underlying cause—addiction.

A June 2009 report of a Colorado hospital, however, provides an example of a health facility acting properly, resulting in a federal indictment. In November 2008, Boulder Community Hospital announced its discovery— over just a 1-month period—of 108 instances of theft and tampering with fentanyl vials taken from automated dispensing equipment for patients undergoing surgery. [Read more…]

Drug Diversion and Abuse: Don’t Be Collateral Damage

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Just recently, another high-profile athlete, this time from the New York Giants, has gotten in trouble with law enforcement. It seems that he brought an unregistered firearm into a nightclub and somehow the gun accidentally discharged, striking him in the leg. This creates a potentially career-ending event, because New York City has stringent gun laws involving mandatory sentencing. If this was the end of the story, and only the talented wide receiver was in trouble by his doing, then I might say “let the chips fall where they may.” [Read more…]

How BIG is the problem?

Year after year, state and local law enforcement statistics indicate that pharmaceuticals are almost 30% of the overall drug problem in the United States, running a close second only marijuana abuse. However, until recently, law enforcement, health care professionals, and the general public have placed little emphasis on this huge problem.

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About PDE

Pharmaceutical Diversion Education (PDE) is designed to assist a wide range of the population in understanding the potential abuse and addiction that can be associated with prescription medication.

Drug Diversion:
Any Criminal Act Involving a Prescription Drug.

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