PAINKILLER ABUSE SPREADING THROUGHOUT VIRGINIA, POLICE SAY

RICHMOND, Va. - Abuse of the painkiller OxyContin, which was
mainly restricted to southwest Virginia, is spreading to more
populated parts of the state, officials said Wednesday.

``What we're finding is that northern Virginia, central Virginia and
eastern Virginia are all having a problem with it,'' said State Police
1st Sgt. Rod Bess, a supervisor with the department's Drug Diversion
Unit.

Although the numbers remain low, Bess said the abuse is more
widespread than originally thought.

``Right now it's like an iceberg, and we're just seeing the tip,'' he
said.

From January 2000 to March 2001, State Police received at least 260
complaints of abuse of oxycodone _ the pill's main ingredient _ from
northern, central and eastern Virginia. That amounts to about 15
percent of all drug complaints for the region, compared with less than
10 percent before 2000, Bess estimated.

When used properly, oxycodone is released slowly in the system to
treat chronic pain in cancer patients and those with arthritis and
back pain. Abusers grind the tablets into powder and swallow, snort or
inject the drug to produce effects similar to heroin, said State
Police 1st Sgt. Landon Gibbs.

Since 1998, OxyContin was linked to at least 43 deaths in southwest
Virginia and at least 59 deaths in Kentucky's mountain region.

But data provided by the medical examiner's office shows that other
parts of Virginia also have been witnessing and increase in
oxycodone-related deaths.

In 1998, one person from central Virginia and one in the Tidewater
area overdosed on oxycodone. The next year, the numbers jumped to
three deaths in central Virginia and six in northern Virginia. There
were no such deaths reported in the Tidewater area.

In 2000, five people in central Virginia, eight in northern Virginia
and five in the Tidewater region overdosed on the drug. In the first
three months of 2001, three people in central Virginia and one in the
Tidewater area died.

Gibbs said OxyContin abuse started in economically depressed areas,
where people with insurance or Medicaid can get the pills for free.
But now, the drug has crossed economic boundaries.

``We're seeing other folks too who are using, middle class people,''
Bess said. ``Once ... the media let everybody know about it, it really
caught on.''

Gibbs said the painkiller is popular in part because it is considered
a safe drug by abusers.

``It's not cut with rat poison or other things, and you're buying it
from a reliable source: your pharmacist,'' Gibbs said.

Abusers generally obtain the pills by lying to doctors about being in
pain and getting a prescription, or by buying them on the street for
about $1 per milligram.

``In many cases, doctors are unaware that the patient is an abuser,''
Gibbs said.

The pill's manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, said last month it was
suspending distribution of the 160-milligram tablets to curb abuse.

Investigators started cracking down on doctors who prescribe the drug
illegally. In southwest Virginia, four doctors were convicted, and
another goes to trial this month on charges ranging from illegal
distribution of drugs to health care fraud, Gibbs said.

Purdue Pharma has also mailed educational brochures to doctors and
pharmacists, and is distributing special prescription pads to doctors,
making it more difficult to forge prescriptions.

A task force of police, prosecutors and medical professionals in
Virginia is studying ways to combat the drug's abuse.