News (Media Awareness Project) - US VT: State Will Stop Paying For Painkiller OxyContin |
| Title: | US VT: State Will Stop Paying For Painkiller OxyContin |
| Published On: | 2001-07-20 |
| Source: | Los Angeles Times (CA) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-01 00:39:21 |
STATE WILL STOP PAYING FOR PAINKILLER OXYCONTIN
Gov. Howard Dean said that Vermont will stop paying for OxyContin for
certain welfare recipients because of the prescription painkiller's growing
link to crime and addiction.
"I would ask physicians to consider very carefully their use of this drug,"
Dean said.
OxyContin is a federally approved pain reliever. When tablets are crushed
and mixed with water, snorted or injected, they can give the user a high
similar to that of heroin. Since 1998, OxyContin and oxycodone, the
narcotic's active ingredient, have been linked to more than 100 deaths
nationwide.
Gov. Howard Dean said that Vermont will stop paying for OxyContin for
certain welfare recipients because of the prescription painkiller's growing
link to crime and addiction.
"I would ask physicians to consider very carefully their use of this drug,"
Dean said.
OxyContin is a federally approved pain reliever. When tablets are crushed
and mixed with water, snorted or injected, they can give the user a high
similar to that of heroin. Since 1998, OxyContin and oxycodone, the
narcotic's active ingredient, have been linked to more than 100 deaths
nationwide.
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