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Drug Diversion and Abuse: Ordering Rx Drugs from Outside the United States

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One of the significant problems in the area of pharmaceutical diversion in this country lies in the millions of dosage units of prescription drugs that are shipped into the United States to our citizens. Some are consumed directly by the person who orders the drug, and others are trafficked in America’s streets to contribute to the abuse and diversion issues we face.

Maine recently passed a state law, effective in October 2013, allowing its citizens to order pharmaceuticals from Canada and a few other countries, in violation of federal law. This is similar to the actions of states that have passed medical and now recreational marijuana laws in direct violation of federal statutes. Both instances are not only illegal but also, in my opinion, a very bad idea. Plenty of examples of abuse already exist in the legal marijuana arena; these kinds of legal maneuvers can only worsen prescription drug problems. [Read more…]

Drug Diversion and Abuse: Senseless Acts of Violence in the Pharmacy Again

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As I write this article, another senseless act of violence has occurred in one of America’s pharmacies. In Bean Station, Tennessee, a small town of about 3000 people, employees at the Down Home Pharmacy were likely at the start of another typical day of filling prescriptions and talking to customers about everything from the weather to what’s going on for Memorial Day weekend. No one, inside or outside, suspected that it was not just another typical day.

At approximately 11:15 am, a man wearing a hoodie and rubber gloves entered the pharmacy, where the owner was present along with 1 customer and 2 other employees. The man carried a .22 revolver and announced a robbery and that he wanted all of the oxycodone. The pharmacist apparently complied, and after receiving several bottles of 100-count oxycodone, the man decided to execute the 4 innocent people in the pharmacy. [Read more…]

Drug Diversion and Abuse: VA Agrees to PMP Database Dump

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The prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) throughout the country are probably the single most innovative help in years to law enforcement trying to deal with pharmaceutical diversion issues. Although some of the states’ systems are not as friendly to law enforcement access, those that are provide a wealth of easily accessible information for potential prosecutions. [Read more…]

Drug Diversion and Abuse: NYC Fights Rx Abuse

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As reported in local news, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans to fight prescription drug abuse in the city. He first announced guidelines for the city’s emergency departments (EDs) to limit painkiller prescriptions in an effort to reduce the abuse and diversion of pharmaceuticals. The latest news was a national announcement that New York City pharmacies will hide a GPS tracker inside fake pill bottles.

City officials indicated that the new program is needed due to the increase in prescription drug abuse, which prompted the hideous slaying of 4 people in a Long Island pharmacy in 2011 by a hydrocodone junkie, among other crimes. Also mentioned was a retired NYPD officer who left his job due to an injury requiring pain medication, leading him to become addicted and subsequently rob pharmacies with a firearm. [Read more…]

Drug Diversion and Abuse: Hydrocodone: CII or CIII?

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Recently, an attempt was made in Congress to reschedule hydrocodone combination products as CII. Support for the measure was widespread, including from my own organization, the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. This wasn’t the first attempt on the federal or state level to put hydrocodone into the most abused category of controlled substances, but this time it is being reported that it is falling short due to lobbying efforts.

Pure hydrocodone is already a CII product, so why does the addition of acetaminophen make it a CIII substance? Many oxycodone products contain acetaminophen, and all of them are CII controlled substances, so many individuals want to know why hydrocodone has been treated differently all these years. [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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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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