OXYCONTIN ROBBERS PLAGUE PHARMACIES

Druggists Examine Security As Thieves Seek Popular Narcotic

It used to be that a pharmacist's main concern was to make sure each pill
made it into the right bottle.

But ever since OxyContin hit the market, knowing how to react to a loaded
handgun has become just as important.

Since 1999, OxyContin sales have nearly tripled, totalling about $1.5
billion nationwide last year. Addiction also has increased, resulting in a
steep rise in pharmacy robberies.

The threat has prompted local law enforcement officials to step up their
response to pharmacy robberies and has left pharmacists scrambling to
bolster security at their stores. Some wonder whether to carry the drug.

"It's getting to be a hazardous occupation," said Mike Morgan, a 22-year
pharmacist who was forced to hand over bottles of the drug when he was held
up two months ago. "People are always after some drug, but Oxy has got them
all beat so far. It's number one. I think about getting robbed a lot. Most
of the time, they never fire a shot, but you never know."

OxyContin has garnered headlines nationwide.

In Cincinnati, officers have dubbed it the "heroin of the Midwest."

In Massachusetts, where it's known as "Hillbilly Heroin," the state
attorney created a task force to deal with the overwhelming number of
pharmacy robberies. "Operation OxyContainment" landed nine men in jail last
week, all on OxyContin charges.

And locally, where the drug gained notoriety as an ingredient in the
"Graves Cocktail," law enforcement officials are poised to respond as well.
In Santa Rosa County's landmark OxyContin case, Dr. James Graves is the
first physician in the nation to be convicted on manslaughter charges
stemming from the overdose deaths of four of his patients. He prescribed
the powerful drug to each of them. A jury also found he recklessly
prescribed the painkiller to scores of other patients for money.

Sgt. Brooks Sanderson took over the Escambia County Sheriff's Office
Robbery Unit two weeks ago and reducing OxyContin-related robberies is high
on his to-do list.

Sanderson ordered a study breaking down robberies in Escambia, but he does
not have to see the results. While he did not give specifics, he said he
will bolster security measures and responses to pharmacy robberies.

"It's a problem that is going to keep growing unless we get our hands on it
and get aggressive with it," Sanderson said.

In Santa Rosa, investigator Scott Haines urges pharmacists to install
security cameras to help deputies.

He compared the situation to bank robberies. Banks are required to have
cameras to catch robbers who make off with several thousand dollars, but
people who rob pharmacies, which rarely have cameras, often get away with
much more, he said.

"With the street value of these drugs, they can walk out with $100,000
worth of narcotics," he said. "This is a big problem. People are resorting
to very serious crimes to get their fix, and the numbers are growing."

Growing problem

The problem already is severe.

In Florida, 217 people died from lethal amounts of oxycodone and/or
hydrocodone in the first half of 2001, according to a report by the Florida
Medical Examiners Commission. That's a 43 percent increase from the
previous six months.

Oxycodone, a main ingredient in OxyContin and hydrocodone, is found in
other prescriptions painkillers such as Lortab.

Jay Schauben, director of the Florida Poison Information Center in
Jacksonville, said OxyContin has seen the biggest increase.

His center runs poison centers in Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami that deal
with overdoses. In 2000, his centers received 278 calls from people
overdosing on oxycodone. In 2001, that number rose to 402.

He said that while the problem has reached alarmingly high levels, it's
just the latest in a long line of popular drugs.

"It's almost like clothes," he said. "It's become popular, a lot of people
do it. But then all of the sudden it will go out of style."

But Susan Winckler, director of policy and advocacy for the American
Pharmaceutical Association, said OxyContin is different.

"We've been in a long stretch where illegal drugs have been sought more,"
she said. "But now it's OxyContin."

She said the last time a prescription drug drew this kind of national
appeal was when Talwin appeared in the 1980s.

"It got to the point that 15 years ago, robberies were talked about in
pharmacy schools," she said. "They would teach you what happened if someone
robbed your facility and what you might not do. It's been years since
that's happened."

Local effect

Local pharmacists are not sure how to handle the situation.

"I count my blessings that it hasn't been a problem at my store," said
David Winkles, who opened Winkles Pharmacy in Pace 13 years ago.

Locals have battled the problem for several years, debating the best way to
handle the problem.

In Cantonment, Montecino's Drugs hires off-duty sheriff's deputies to
secure the store. Others are considering doing the same, as well as
installing security cameras and panic buttons.

"My pharmacy is real small, but I've battled with putting up some cameras
and things like that," Winkles said. "At the least, I've tried to make my
employees more aware of what's going on. You try and hope not to get caught
by surprise, but when it comes down to it, there's nothing in my store
worth dying for."

Some pharmacists have suggested establishing one location as the lone
distribution site of OxyContin in the region, but many agree that probably
won't happen.

Others question how much OxyContin to keep on hand.

Roger Matthews, owner of The Prescription Shop in Milton, said he uses
overnight deliveries to fill some prescriptions. This ensures not much is
kept in stock.

"A lot of pharmacies don't even want you to know they have OxyContin
because they don't want to get hit," he said.

Steve Burklow, owner of Burklow Pharmacy in Pace, said it's a balancing act
to make sure there's enough for legitimate patients without calling
attention to his store.

"I don't know how they do it, but they find out who has it," he said.
"During the Graves trial, we questioned whether to even keep it. But
there's just so many people that it helps - people with cancer and
terminally ill people - that you'd hate not to have it available."

What is OxyContin?

OxyContin, a time-released painkiller that contains oxycodone, was
developed by Purdue Pharma to treat severe and chronic pain, such as that
suffered bypatients with end-stage cancer.

It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995 and went on the
market in 1996. Addicts crush the pills and snort the powder, or they
dissolve the pills and inject the solution into a vein, producing a quick
and powerful high.