“It Starts With A Visit To The Doctor”

Millions and millions of Americans in the United States are addicted to prescription drugs. It starts out as a simple visit to the doctor. Then the patient fills their prescription at a local pharmacy. Soon after, they realize what they actually have in their hands. For things like pain killers, they’re pharmaceutical grade opiates; pure as can be and with no worries of being “cut” or “stepped” on by a middle man. The latest statistics show that prescription drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, MS Contin are being abused more than heroin and cocaine combined. Recently, President Obama and the Obama Administration has declared prescription drug abuse to be more rampant than the crack cocaine craze of the 1980’s.

Painkillers are being gobbled up all across America. Many feel that it’s perfectly fine since it’s written and prescribed by a doctor or physician. But the truth is that these types of medications are being over prescribed and has become an epidemic across the country.

Regional Patterns Of Abuse

The most popular prescription medication being abused in the eastern part of Tennessee is Oxycontin. A drug that is highly addictive and very difficult to kick. It has an incredible hold on the person physically, mentally, and emotionally. A former addict was quoted, “It will ruin your life real fast and you have no idea what you are getting yourself into”. Another addict said, “I still cannot shake it from my head. I think about the high that I experienced”. Places like the eastern part of Tennessee has a much more difficult time obtaining drugs like heroin simply because drug cartels filter heroin into major cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Southern California, and New York. Through these major cities they disperse out blanketing suburbs and smaller towns nearby. But places like Tennessee often do not get enough supply to wet the appetite of all users. These drug addicts then depend on pharmaceutical grade heroin also known as Oxycontin. “Heroin is a little stronger, but you can get just as high on an Oxy”, quoted an addict.

These pain killers are readily available in medicine cabinets at home. Imagine being prescribed Percocet or Vicodin for mouth surgeries or back pain. These drugs litter the homes all across America. Oxycodone is the main ingredient in Oxycontin. It can potentially provide the same high as heroin however up to three times more deadly than illegal drugs. Due to the purity content, overdoses are becoming rampant in America. The drug is prescribed to be taken orally however addicts crush the pills up to snort or shoot in their veins. An 80 milligram dose is currently the highest dosage available on the market. These little green pills can sell for up to a dollar per milligram costing an addict nearly $80 per hit.

An FBI agent said, “East Tennessee’s problem is definitely Florida. It’s very rare that we come across, as far as prescription drugs, that is not coming out of Florida”. A large percentage of these green pills stem from pill mills near Tampa and Broward. The FBI stated in 2006 there were six pain clinics in Southern Florida. Now there are 150. This alarming increase is directly stemmed from greed and the high demand for the drug. These pills mills are what you call a one-stop shop. A former customer stated, “You use an old MRI, an old X-Ray or someone’s urine, go through the process, and you walk out of there with a prescription of 100 Oxy’s”. It’s become an ongoing battle between the police department and drug pushers. The FBI has stated that until the pill mill epidemic is stopped, the Florida to Tennessee pipeline will continue to hook people along the way.

The FBI says the number of cases involving prescription drug abuse is East Tennessee has increased up to 60 percent in recent years. The Drug Enforcement Agency says the number of arrests involving Oxycontin has doubled as well. Both agencies emphasizes that the main issue for them is to get South Florida and their pill mills under control. Florida legislators have passed bills that federal agents hope will crack down on these illegal activities. The law requires pain clinics, pharmacists, and doctors to keep track of prescriptions in centralized state databases. This law is technically in effect, but has yet to be truly implemented due to of a lack of state funds being available.

In East Tennessee, it’s often easier to find Oxycontin than Marijuana. As crazy as this may sound, it’s true. These pills become easier to obtain in the smaller towns of Tennessee. It’s what’s available and you can attribute this to the “Oxycontin Express”. Drug dealers often send carfuls of potential patients to the pill mills in Florida. They are each handed $1000 to $1500 to pay for the doctor visit, a fake X-ray, and the pills themselves. The drug dealer will make deals with these patrons by either paying them with cash for their time or give them part of the “take”. It’s a daily business and these drug runs happen all the time. Treatment centers such as Narconon are seeing a rise in admits for prescription drug abuse as well.

Wave Of Overdoses Sweeping The Country

As more and more people die from prescription drug overdoses in America, the White House drug czar revealed on Tuesday a new strategy to cut misuse of pain killers like Oxycontin by 15% within five years. This takes particular aim at Florida-based pill mills which have fueled an explosion of the particular drug along the East Coast and into Appalachia. This new plan will involve drug education which will be stepped up by law enforcement and pill-tracking databases. Under this new plan, more than one million physicians will undergo proper training on prescription drug practices. This first ever comprehensive federal plan will focus on four main areas which includes the media, trackable databases in all 50 states, throwing out expired medications, and more training for law enforcement. Currently only 35 states of trackable databases. These database systems will help detect abuse and illegal diversion of pills via tracking what physicians prescribe and the amount all pharmacies dispense of particular pharmaceutical drugs.