HOUSTON OFFICIALS BRACE FOR DRUG ABUSE FAD, OXYCONTIN

Houston police and drug-abuse specialists are bracing for the arrival of
the nation's newest drug abuse fad, the potent prescription painkiller
OxyContin. Dubbed "Hillbilly Heroin" in a nod to the residents of
Appalachia who first discovered its potential for abuse, Oxycontin is a
commercial form of the opiate-based oxycodone, one of the most powerful --
and addictive -- painkillers known.

From its humble beginnings in the mountains of West Virginia and
Pennsylvania two years ago, OxyContin abuse has spread across the country
from Florida and Alaska.

"It does seem to be moving," said Jerry Ellis of the Drug Enforcement
Administration's Houston bureau. "Methadone clinics (in those areas) are
saying now they are getting as many patients from oxycodone abuse as they
are from heroin abuse."

But OxyContin abuse has yet to make a significant impact in Houston. Police
lab technicians come across only a handful of tablets per month while
processing evidence from crime scenes, and narcotics officers have made no
major seizures of the painkiller.

"It doesn't appear to be any organized effort. We're not aware of any
robberies or thefts like that," said Houston police Sgt. David Klinger.

Houston police assigned officers to a local task force that investigates
pharmacies and physicians suspected of supplying contraband medication. The
unit is in the early stages of an investigation into illegal OxyContin
distribution in the Houston area.

OxyContin was first developed in 1995 by Purdue Pharma of Stamford, Conn.
The drug's appeal to legitimate chronic pain sufferers was established
quickly, with about 500,000 prescriptions written in 1996. By 2000, that
number had shot to more than 5 million, according to the DEA.

The pipelines funneling OxyContin to the street have primarily been forged
prescriptions, unscrupulous pharmacists and physicians, and "doctor
shopping" -- making similar health complaints to different doctors in the
hope of receiving multiple prescriptions.

The drug also has worried some legitimate suppliers, with gangs of robbers
targeting pharmacies carrying the lucrative OxyContin tablets, officials said.

"This is getting to be a problem for people who legitimately use this
(medication), because the pharmacies know they are going to be subject to
more armed robberies," said Ellis. "A lot of them are not even stocking the
OxyContin, which causes a problem for people who need the medicine for
their legitimate pain problems."

A recent string of robberies around Boston reportedly led dozens of
drugstores in the area to stop stocking OxyContin until ordered by the
state pharmacy board to reinstate the drug.

Illinois-based Walgreens operates more than 100 pharmacies in the Houston
area. A spokeswoman for the retail giant said Walgreens officials are
watching the OxyContin situation closely and are in daily contact with
branch pharmacies.

Although the chain has reported some OxyContin-related burglaries and
fraudulent prescriptions, Walgreens spokeswoman Carol Hively said there are
no plans to pull it from the shelves.

"At this point in time, we're keeping it in the stores," Hively said. "Our
first priority is to make medicine available to our patients."

An OxyContin prescription costs about $100, while the street price runs
about a dollar per milligram. Because pills range from 10 to 80 milligrams,
the profit margin can be lucrative.

When first introduced, OxyContin was hailed in some quarters as a miracle
drug for people with moderate to severe pain.

The tablets were designed to be swallowed whole, allowing the oxycodone to
be absorbed slowly over several hours. The time-release properties allow
users to regulate the amount needed and decrease the drug's addictive and
high-inducing qualities.

"It allowed the patients to have better pain control for continued periods
of time," said Dr. Garrett Lynch, an oncologist and associate professor at
Baylor College of Medicine. "They have a better quality of life."

But abusers soon found that they could circumvent the drug's time-release
properties by crushing the tablets and snorting or injecting the powder.
The result produces an intense, euphoria-like rush that led to the drug's
abuse.

OxyContin abuse can be deadly for those who haven't developed a tolerance
for heavy doses.

"It can knock somebody into a coma or even death," said Les Shireman, a
recovery program manager with Houston's Council on Alcohol and Drugs.

Although he called OxyContin a "good option for pain control," Lynch
stopped prescribing it a few months ago, largely because of the widespread
publicity and legal concerns about its potential for abuse.

"Many patients actually requested not to take it anymore because they heard
about it," Lynch said. "It's just so unfortunate that because the abuse
potential is so high, we've had to modify our practices and avoid using the
drug."

A Katy resident, who asked that his name not be used out of fear for his
safety, represents the other side of the OxyContin story. He was prescribed
the painkiller after being diagnosed with lung cancer about two years ago.
At its peak, he was taking as much as 400 milligrams a day.

"They didn't expect me to live," he said. "They just wanted me to be
comfortable. They told me it would take care of the pain. The OxyContin
made it possible for me to rest. It made it comfortable for me to get a
night's sleep."

The Katy man, who said his cancer has gone into remission, hopes illegal
OxyContin trafficking won't result in its elimination as a legal painkiller.

"It's not the drug that is the problem, it's the person who is abusing it,"
he said. Abusers, he said, "are going to make it difficult for the people
who need it. It's unfair."

Even as they work to stop the illegal flow of the drug, law-enforcement
officials say they have no intention of trying to ban OxyContin.

"DEA recognizes that this is an effective pain drug," Ellis said. "DEA
wants to make sure there's enough OxyContin around to treat all the people
with legitimate needs but not for there to be so much around that it's
available (for) all the dope abusers."

HPD's Klinger doubted much more could be done to stem any future local tide
of illicit OxyContin traffic other than to remain aware of the problem.

"That's something we do for all these drugs. We think that we can get on
top of any problem pretty quickly," Klinger said. "We have enough systems
in place that we'll be aware of it if it starts to develop here."

Houston addiction counselors have received few calls from people worried
about being at risk for OxyContin abuse. But Shireman said the law of
supply and demand likely will result in an increase in the drug's
recreational popularity.

"This is a pretty profitable enterprise," he said. "I don't see any reason
to think that we won't experience it. I think it would be Pollyanna-ish of
us to say it's not going to happen to us."