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Police and Pharmacists Team Up to Thwart Drug Diversion

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Any law enforcement officer who has worked in drug diversion knows the importance of the pharmacy profession. Myself and my colleagues have found pharmacists to be incredibly savvy allies, especially when it comes to weeding out individuals who are trying to scam the system.

A recent conference at Auburn University’s School of Pharmacy saw law enforcement officials, pharmacists, and other health professionals team up to tackle the ongoing problem of prescription drug abuse.1  It does not matter whether such a collaboration is initiated by pharmacy or law enforcement. Ideally, every town, city, and county would practice the teamwork demonstrated at this conference. [Read more…]

The Value of Prescription Monitoring Programs

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A recent study from Vanderbilt University in Nashville proclaimed that prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) can reduce prescription drug–related overdose deaths. According to the study results published in the June issue of Health Affairs, “If Missouri adopted its own PDMP, and every state enhanced its existing program, some 600 overdose deaths would be avoided annually.”1

Missouri is referred to because, as of this writing, it is the only state without a PDMP. Establishment of a PDMP is being debated in the Missouri legislature, however, as other states have enjoyed incredibly successful PDMPs for years. Missouri is not only a haven for in-state seekers of illegitimate refills, but the state also attracts offenders from bordering states! The prescribers and dispensers with whom I have spoken over the past few years are fed up with the problem and the legislature’s lack of response to it. [Read more…]

Hospital Emergency Departments Are Adopting Drug-Use Tracking Systems

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It was recently announced that some hospitals in certain states are using a system to track patients who shop hospital emergency departments (EDs). These hospitals’ electronic records use a bright-red indicator to highlight particular patients who repeatedly seek prescription drugs in the ED. This tracking program was initiated due to the excessive amount of scammers visiting US EDs.

ED employees (physicians, nurses, etc) are not surprised by the move, as this practice has been going on for decades. With prescription drug abuse intensifying over the past 10 to 15 years, I am sure the instances have increased to levels higher than ever before. Keeping track of these folks is time-consuming and difficult at best. [Read more…]

Prescription Monitoring Programs-2014

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If you have followed this column, you know I am a big proponent of prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) in this country. However, I am not a proponent of a single PMP being run nationally by a federal governmental entity. Rather, I support management by individual states that establish their own laws as to who has access and how it can be used. I don’t agree with how some of them restrict law enforcement to easily access the data, but I recognize that the whole system works better when states do their own thing! [Read more…]

Drug Diversion and Abuse: Staring Down the Barrel

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Staring Down the Barrel is a book unlike any I have seen on the market. It specifically addresses the concerns and problems facing everyday pharmacists as they are confronted by prescription drug diverters and armed robbers. This problem has grown over the past decade or so, and unfortunately in some cases, it has caused the death of both pharmacy employees and customers—most of whom were simply complying with the orders of the criminal. [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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