POLICE ON ALERT FOR 'HILLBILLY HEROIN'

OxyContin, A Painkiller, Is Growing In Popularity Across The Nation As The
Next Big Party Drug, Officials Warn

A prescription painkiller linked to a murder and pharmacy break-ins and
overdoses across the nation is making its way into the Capital Region,
showing up at parties and putting local police on alert.

OxyContin, also known as "hillbilly heroin" because of its illicit use in
rural areas, is being talked about on the streets, where it's sold among
popular party drugs, such as crack, heroin and Ecstasy.

"The vice detectives are aware of it, because it looks like a new fad drug
here," said Schenectady Detective Lt. Jack Falvo. "We haven't detected any
yet. But it is inevitable for it to hit big here. It just takes a little
extra time."

The drug has already turned up in Saratoga Springs, where police tracked a
shipment in September via a package delivery service.

Also that month, police found some 30 OxyContin pills after stopping a
carload of men heading to a Phish concert at Albany's Pepsi Arena.

"The trend is when something is big in New York City it tends to follow two
or three years down the road here," said Saratoga Springs Detective Lt.
Edward Moore. "By any stretch of the imagination, it is not a big deal here
yet. But we are looking for it."

Large attractions in Saratoga Springs, such as the race tracks and Saratoga
Performing Arts Center, can serve as a market for such drugs before they
make an appearance in Schenectady or Albany, Moore said.

Many pharmacies in New York are already opting not to carry the drug for
fear of armed robberies or burglaries, said Cohoes Mayor John McDonald, a
pharmacist by trade. Those who do carry it usually keep it under lock and
key, he said.

State Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency officials say 23 pharmacy
burglaries have been reported in New York, though it is not clear which
areas of the state were hit hardest, they said.

Pennsylvania has had the most robberies, with a total of 90 last year,
according to one DEA source. Kentucky and Georgia follow with 69 and 50,
respectively, the source said.

Nationwide, the drug has been linked to at least 120 overdose deaths,
including 26 in Palm Beach County, Fla., during the first four months of
this year. In New York, a Broome County father launched a Web site against
the drug after his son died from an overdose in Florida. The site takes
anonymous tips about drug dealers and manufacturers and passes them on to
officials.

In Virginia, a man pleaded guilty Monday to murder for agreeing to inject a
friend with the drug. The friend died in his sleep hours later, apparently
of an overdose. Robert Stallard faces up to 81 years in prison for what is
believed to be the first murder charge related to OxyContin.

In May, drug-maker Purdue Pharma suspended shipments of its 160 milligram
tablet, its largest dose, and took steps to make people aware of the
dangers of the drug, also known by its generic name, Oxycodone.

Additionally, Pulaski, Va., has become the first town in the country to use
a fingerprint security system to keep track of people who receive legally
prescribed OxyContin.

The DEA has urged Purdue Pharma to limit distribution and marketing of
OxyContin. Purdue Pharma has also been sued by attorneys in Kentucky and
Virginia and by the West Virginia attorney general's office for allegedly
marketing the drug so widely that it was over-prescribed by doctors.

Authorities say no prescription drug in the last 20 years has been so
widely abused as quickly as OxyContin.

"It is such a powerful synthetic opiate," said Col. Pedro Perez, assistant
deputy superintendent of the State Police's Bureau of Criminal
Investigations. "It was really moving across the state more than two years
ago. In any college town or area where they are having raves you will find it."

FACTS: New Drug Of Choice

Brand name: OxyContin

Generic name: Oxycodone

Manufacturer: Purdue Pharma of Stamford, Conn.

Formula: Synthetic morphine. Highest narcotic available legally.

Use: Prescription painkiller for terminal cancer patients and chronic pain
sufferers.

Street names: Hillbilly heroin, OC killer and oxycodeine

Background: It is the highest controlled substance available by
prescription, but OxyContin first came to the attention of law enforcement
in the sparsely inhabited area of Appalachia.