PAINKILLER ADDICTION LEADING TO CRIME, ABUSE

Its official brand name is OxyContin, but it has several pseudonyms on the
street, such as Oxycotten and even Hillbilly Heroin.

Unlike heroin, OxyContin is a legal prescription drug. What is becoming
more apparent to local law enforcement and pharmacists alike is that this
legal drug is being used in ways that no doctor would ever prescribe.

"I would definitely consider it to be a hot street item," said Fred White,
a pharmacist at Eckerd Drugs in Lanier Plaza, Brunswick. "I would also say
that it is addictive."

OxyContin is a powerful painkiller, a derivative of morphine, that is often
prescribed to patients suffering from cancer, severe arthritis, sickle cell
disease or nerve damage.

While the drug provides much needed pain relief to those who are in genuine
need, it has also been linked with crime, addiction and severe abuse.

The drug has become infamous in small communities throughout Kentucky,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Maine, according to the
U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center.

It appears that Glynn County is not immune.

It is a reality that Richard Griffis, owner of Rainbow Drugs on New Jesup
Highway, has been forced to face. His store was broken into Aug. 6, and he
suspects that the burglars were after OxyContin.

"I have considered not stocking the drug at all, but we fill prescriptions
for hospice patients, who really need it for the pain," said Griffis.
"We're in between a rock and a hard place on this one."

According to a Glynn County Police report, the burglar threw a large block
of concrete through a window of the store and went behind the counter in
search of drugs.

"The suspect rummaged through the pill bottles on the shelves behind the
counter," reads the report.

While the intruder did not get away with any OxyContin, Griffis thinks it
was probably what he was after. Griffis has since stepped up security at
his store to ensure that a similar incident does not reoccur.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Georgia had the
fifth highest rate of OxyContin pharmacy thefts in the nation between 2000
and 2001.

In areas with significant OxyContin abuse, theft has become a highly
visible problem.

One of the most disturbing cases occurred in Winthrop, Mass., on Jan. 7,
when two armed men robbed a nursing home and demanded the entire OxyContin
supply.

Thefts have occurred in Glynn County as well.

On Sept. 30, a thief broke into a 2000 Ford F150 parked in front of Eckerd
Drugs at Lanier Plaza and stole $200 of OxyContin and $25 of Hydrocodone
pills, another powerful painkiller.

"We have had several instances of theft here in Glynn County, but the
problem is not as big as it is in some other places," said Lt. Terry Wright
of the Brunswick Glynn Narcotics Enforcement Team.

According to Wright, the way most OxyContin finds its way to the streets is
through fraudulent prescriptions.

"Some people start out having a legal prescription, but it's an addictive
drug, and they might start phoning in forged prescriptions," said Wright.

In other cases, people steal prescription pads from doctor's offices and
write themselves illegal prescriptions.

According to Wright, the Narcotics Enforcement Team works closely with the
pharmacists in the county to try and curb forged prescriptions.

The pharmacy will often call doctors to verify prescriptions. If a
prescription is found to be forged, the pharmacy contacts the police, who
will then arrest the person.

"You can be arrested for this, and not only will you be charged with
illegal possession, but you can be charged with forgery as well," said Wright.

Another problem that Wright and Griffis often see is people who exaggerate
their pain to get legal prescriptions for OxyContin. They then turn around
and sell the pills on the street for a substantial profit.

Wright and Griffis both cite unscrupulous doctors as another source of
OxyContin proliferation on the streets.

"There are some doctors out there who will pretty much order up whatever
you want," said Wright. "We work very closely with the state agencies that
oversee doctors to try and stop this."

Adding to the problem is the fact that there is a lot of money to be made
in the illegal dealing of OxyContin.

A single 40-milligram pill costs about $4.40, but can sell for up to $40 on
the street.

Griffis said he had heard reports that the drug sells for about $1 per
milliliter illegally. According to Wright, a single pill might cost
anywhere from $20 to $30, making it a pricey high.