PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROBLEM WORSENING

Illegal prescription pills, rather than such common illicit substances
as marijuana, represent the most serious drug abuse in Moore County, a
group of county and municipal leaders were told Thursday.

Capt. Jerrell Seawell of the Moore County Sheriff's Narcotics Unit
told the gathering at the Aberdeen Recreation Center that Percocet, a
prescription painkiller, is one of the most commonly abused street
drugs and causes the majority of the drug abuse problems in the county.

"We need to get the word out that we're facing a dangerous situation,"
Seawell said.

Seawell said people are forging prescriptions, stealing prescriptions,
stealing prescription pads, and doctor shopping to secure Percocet and
other narcotics. In many cases, these individuals are acquiring the
pills for the purpose of illegal sales to others. He told of arresting
several older people for the illegal sale of prescription drugs,
situations in which "money was involved."

Proof of the growing problem is found in statistics. Seawell reported
that 22 persons were arrested for doctor shopping and prescription
fraud between January and June this year. There were 29 such arrests
in the final six months of 2008.

Doctor shopping is the term for drug seekers who visit more than one
doctor for the sole purpose of obtaining drugs. In some cases the
"patient" may have a valid medical problem, but in many other
instances there is no physical complaint at all, but the person
manages to persuade different doctors to prescribe the same drug for
the real or made-up ailment. The practice is illegal.

Seawell said many people who doctor shop can sell the drug for big
profits. These customers do not have insurance to help with drugs and
usually pay with cash, rather than checks or credit cards that leave
an identification trail.

Assistance in combating this problem is available through the
Controlled Substance Reporting System (CSRS), a Web-based database
that displays patient controlled prescription medication history.

However, CSRS is largely available only to physicians and pharmacists
with service available on a limited basis for law enforcement agencies.

Seawell said sheriffs' offices currently do not have access to CSRS,
and he and other law enforcement agencies are lobbying for expansion
of access. He said access would improve efficiency in targeting cases,
improve ability to identify suspects at the local level and deter
doctor shopping.

Legislation has been introduced at the state level to grant sheriffs
access to the database. It is included in House Bill 1119, the
Controlled Substance Act Changes.

State Sen. Harris Blake and Rep. Jamie Boles were in the audience
during the meeting.

The most commonly abused prescription drugs were described as pain
medications, such as the oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, methadone
and central nervous system depressants. Oxycodone includes Oxycontin,
Percocet and Roxicodone. Lorcet, Lortab and Vicodin are in the
hydrocodone group. The depressants, or downers, include the relaxants
Xanax and Valium.

In the past two months, Moore County "has seen a dramatic increase in
powdered cocaine," Seawell said. He expressed the hope that this is
just temporary.

Although Percocet remains the prescription drug most commonly abused
in Moore County, the county has plenty of trouble with marijuana,
other types of prescription pills, cocaine -- primarily crack cocaine
- -- and methamphetamine.

Drug abuse is a national issue, but it is a significant problem in
North Carolina, he said. North Carolina ranks second to Florida in
methadone overdose deaths, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency's
Office of Diversion Control.

The Office of National Drug Control policy reports that marijuana is
the most commonly used illicit drug, and prescription drugs used for
nonmedical purposes rank second to marijuana, surpassing all other
illicit drug uses combined.

A graph illustrated sharp changes in the seizure of prescription pills
since 2004, when 1,083 pills were seized. The number climbed to 1,312
in 2005.

But in 2006, the total zoomed up to 10,102, a figure that Seawell
warned was skewed by one major seizure involving about 8,000 pills.
The numbers dropped back to a more normal statistic in the next two
years -- 2,067 in 2007 and 1,790 in 2008.

But it is the first half of 2009 that concerns Seawell most. During
those six months, 7,290 pills were seized. Although more than 4,500 of
those pills were seized in one investigation, Seawell said the
remaining total is disturbing, especially by contrast with the totals
for the two previous full years.

From 2004 until 2008, the Moore County Sheriff's Department seized
16,354 prescription pills, an average of 1,671 a year. During this
same period, the department made more than 300 investigations
involving such things as possession, sale and delivery, intent to sell
or deliver, trafficking, obtaining prescriptions by fraud and doctor
shopping.

About 90 investigations, resulting in 102 arrests, were made in 2008
for prescription pill violations. In the first six months of this
year, there have been 70 documented cases involving sale of
prescription pills, resulting in 81 arrests.

Seawell cited statistics gathered through a community health
assessment conducted by the Moore County Health Department and
MooreHealth in July. The response shows drug abuse as the most
frequently mentioned "unhealthy behavior" having a negative impact on
the community. It was followed by alcohol abuse (a form of drug
abuse), tobacco and lack of exercise.

The Moore County 2020 Task Force has identified drug prevention as a
focus area. The task force is composed of representatives from the
public schools, health providers, faith-based groups, Cooperative
Extension, the Department of Social Services, law enforcement agencies
and other health organizations.

"It's not just a law enforcement issue," Seawell said.

Seawell asked his listeners to spread the word about drug abuse issues
and to become part of the solution. He added that the community needs
to involve more faith-based groups.

He said that drug addiction is characterized by compulsive behavior,
tolerance (to drugs), withdrawal and decreased motivation for life. He
told the group to look for changes in personality and behavior in
detecting drug problems in family members, friends and co-workers.

The meeting was called by the Moore County Board of Commissioners with
representatives of all 11 municipalities invited to participate in a
county-municipal forum.