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Law enforcement has used canines for many decades as patrol partners for humans. These dogs have been trained to attack on command, search buildings, track for suspects or lost children, and more recently, they have been trained to sniff out illegal substances. Dogs are used by law enforcement every day to detect drugs, bombs, agricultural products, and cadavers.

Law enforcement has not pursued canine training for detecting prescription drugs, however. There is good reason for this—pharmaceuticals are legal drugs, and using a dog for probable cause to search a vehicle or other location would be illegal. Therefore, the training and use of prescription sniffing canines in law enforcement was not pursued. [Read more…]

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Rx Abuse in Rural America

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I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Sheriff Kim Rogers of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office from rural southern Ohio. Sheriff Rogers has a big prescription drug problem in his county that is killing his residents, and he wants to do something about it. Adams County is a beautiful area of the Buckeye State, with only 27,000 residents; it also is one of the most rural counties in Ohio, about 70 miles east of Cincinnati. Adams County has had 16 overdose deaths attributed to prescription drugs since January 1, 2009.

In addition, over 60 additional overdose incidents have occurred that fortunately did not result in death. As Sheriff Rogers said, “We thought it was an alarming number.” I would certainly agree. In the spring of 2009, a collaborative task force of law enforcement, physicians, and pharmacists began to meet in the county to try and find answers to this high level of overdose deaths related to pharmaceuticals. [Read more…]

REMS and Opiates— A New Beginning?

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The FDA’s decision to require manufacturers to develop Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for their new or improved prescription opiates has had a widespread effect on these companies and their plans for distributing their pain relievers. As these companies scramble to develop REMS that will receive FDA approval and allow their products to be approved for distribution, many questions are generated as to exactly what the federal agency wants them to achieve and how to do it.

Of course, REMS for opiates have been mandated due to the continued rise in prescription drug abuse in our country. Some of this abuse is intentional, and some of it is accidental; nonetheless, the FDA is requiring some new ideas and strategies in an attempt to reduce this diversion problem in America. For the first time, generic pharmaceutical companies are also included in this mandate; branded companies feel that this is long overdue. [Read more…]

Crossing Over State Lines with Painkiller Prescriptions

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For some time now, the Midwest and other locations in the United States have been inundated with prescription drugs flowing in from Broward County, Florida (Fort Lauderdale). The root of the problem appears to be the almost 200 pain management practices located in Broward County and the constant flow of Ohioans and others to these clinics. Some of these clinics are not owned by physicians but by energetic entrepreneurs.

Vanloads of midwesterners have traveled the 1000-plus miles to obtain multiple prescriptions for oxycodone and other controlled substances. Our task force is seeing this firsthand, as we receive offers to purchase as many as 400 tablets at a time, ranging from $6 to $8 per pill and sometimes even more, depending on supply and demand. [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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