BILLERICA POLICE TARGET OXYCONTIN ABUSE

BILLERICA -- Though wary of hyping OxyContin abuse as another
epidemic, Billerica police say the potent painkiller has been so
prevalent in town that strengthened efforts must be made to curb
illegal use of the drug. The Police Department is currently pursuing
six active investigations into OxyContin distribution in the area.
But while police officers do their part on the streets, Police Chief
Daniel Rosa is also hoping Town Meeting will approve the creation of
a Substance Abuse Prevention Committee. "I feel it's a serious
problem," Rosa said. "As of the last year or so, we've really been
hit hard by OxyContin, in particular. Several years ago, we lost
the DARE program because of funding, but we have to do something."
Billerica Detective Roy Frost said he has begun to see OxyContin
abuse in all segments of the population, from heroin addicts to
high-school students. "We have kids who have had no issues with drugs
all of a sudden using OxyContin. It's amazing," Frost said.

In the past year, Billerica has handled four armed OxyContin
robberies and seen at least a handful of residents die from overdoses
or drug-related suicide. Rosa also attributes an increase in house
breaks over the past several months to drug addiction.

Police officers already work with state and federal agencies, such as
the New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, to analyze
trends and receive training in combating drug abuse.

But officials believe joining police with other town leaders could
help address the problem from a variety of different angles. Rosa has
proposed an 11-member committee that would explore education,
awareness and possible drug-treatment options in the Billerica
schools and the community at large.

The committee would be made up of representatives appointed by the
Board of Selectmen, the Police Department, the Fire Department, the
Board of Health, and the Billerica and Shawsheen Valley Technical
High School superintendents. "One of the goals is to prioritize
resources and bring in training for students, faculty and police," Frost said.

Funding for programs would first be sought through grants, but Rosa
said the committee may find it appropriate to ask the town for money.
Although the committee would focus on all issue of substance abuse,
including underage drinking, OxyContin presents a unique problem for
police because the drug is widely prescribed for pain to patients
with conditions from cancer to severe arthritis.

Frost said the prescription pills are being diverted from legitimate
sources like physicians to drug dealers.

He cited one case in particular in which a tip from a Billerica
resident led police to Wakefield orthopedic surgeon Dr. Douglas
Howard, who was writing OxyContin prescriptions in exchange for other
illicit drugs. Howard was arraigned in Malden District Court on Jan.
31 and is awaiting trail, Frost said. OxyContin is typically
manufactured as an 80-milligram pill with five time-released doses.
But Frost said many addicts choose to chew the pill to get the full
80 milligrams at once.

One 80-milligram OxyContin pill is equivalent in strength to 16
Percocets, another popular painkiller, and Frost said he has seen
some addicts take as many as four to five OxyContin a day.

"It's a very dangerous drug, and we're highly concerned by the influx
we've seen being sold on the street," Frost said.