QUICK RELEASE HIGH: ADDICTS USE LEGAL DRUG OXYCONTIN TO SERVE ILLEGAL
PURPOSES

Most people, when in the care of a doctor and receiving prescription
medication to treat severe pain, do not think about becoming a "junkie." But
a drug such as OxyContin can turn anyone into an addict in a short period of
time.

OxyContin is the brand name of a time-release analgesic medicine known as
Oxycondone. OxyContin is produced as a legitimate pharmaceutical and
distributed in tablet form by Purdue Pharma. The drug is prescribed by
doctors to patients as a pain medication.

The drug is used to manage the pain of terminal cancer, chronic back/disc
problems, ad-vanced forms of arthritis, and any number of chronic pain
disorders.

The drug depresses the central nervous system and provides a state of
euphoria/drowsiness, relieving pain. The drug causes respiration to slow,
the pupils of the eyes to constrict, nausea, and drowsiness. OxyContin is a
narcotic drug in the same family as heroin, which possesses a high potential
for physical and psychological dependence, even when prescribed by a
responsible physician.

Abuse in Virginia Hillbilly Heroin, Redneck Heroin, Oxy, High Cotton, and
OxyCotton are the street names for OxyContin. In Virginia the abuse of
OxyContin is concentrated heavily in Southwest Virginia. The users are
overwhelmingly white males and females of every socio-economic level. The
illegal use of OxyContin began in the poor white communities of southwest
Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee in the late 1990s. Heroin
is not readily available in those areas, so "Oxy" quickly filled the void.
Today people at every level of society have fallen victim to the powerful
addictive properties of this drug.

The primary avenues of diversion for illegal use are pharmacy robberies,
health care fraud, prescription fraud, over-prescribing by physicians, and
illicit international traffic. Richmond area police have reported pharmacy
robberies where the armed suspects have demanded the store's entire supply
of OxyContin. In Southwest Virginia the DEA Diversion Unit, working jointly
with the Virginia State Police, indicted and arrested eight doctors for
prescribing thousands of OxyContin tablets under fraudulent circumstances.
Local and State Police Narcotic Units have arrested many individuals for
attempting to obtain prescriptions of the drug by fraud or deception.

Used in Three Ways When OxyContin is purchased at a pharmacy, one
10-milligram tablet costs $1.25 and an 80-milligram tablet cost $6. When
purchased illegally on the street that same 10-milligram tablet will cost
$5-$6 and the 80-milligram tablet will cost $65-$80. This illegal
distribution of OxyContin is as profitable as the distribution of many
illegal drugs.

Once on the street, the drug is used in three ways to achieve a high: Users
will either chew the tablet, breaking down the time-release property; crush
the tablet and snort the powder; or dissolve the tablet in water and inject
the drug like heroin to achieve the most rapid and intense high. All three
of these methods defeat the time-release action of the drug and allow for
the high to take effect quickly. The high from OxyContin lasts from three to
12 hours, depending on the strength of the dose. The continued use of
OxyContin can cause long-term physical dependence, which requires sustained
medical treatment to cure.

In response to the growing concern among federal, state, and local officials
about the dramatic increase in the illicit availability and abuse of
OxycCntin, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has begun a
comprehensive effort to prevent its diversion for street distribution and
abuse. These efforts involve working closely with the International
Association of Chiefs of Police and National Association of Sheriffs by
sharing data, hosting training sessions, and assisting in drug-diversion
investigations of OxyContin. Public awareness programs are underway to
educate the community on the dangers of OxyContin. The DEA, together with
the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, have included OxyContin in their
public-service announcements and advertisements relative to drug abuse and
prevention.

A Serious Problem The abuse of OxyContin is fast becoming a serious
nationwide problem. We must raise the attention of the medical community,
law enforcement, and the public to focus on the misuse of this legal drug
and protect members of our families from this threat. This is not just a
teenage drug problem. It spans all ages and every level of our society.

My hope is that once high-profile people such as Rush Limbaugh recover from
their addiction through medical treatment, they will use their gifts of
persuasion to tell the story about the addictive power of this drug. Our
best weapon for mass education of the public can be from the "Golden EIB
Microphone" to 20 million weekly listeners and their families. We can stem
the abuse of this powerful narcotic with raised awareness. Mega-Dittos,
Rush, Godspeed!

Joe Dombroski, a Richmond-area enforcement supervisor for the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, is a 2003 Commentary Columnist.