EPIDEMIC FEAR AS 'HILLBILLY HEROIN' HITS THE STREETS

A lethal drug dubbed 'hillbilly heroin' that has been responsible for
hundreds of deaths in America has surfaced in Britain, prompting fears
among police, customs officers and drug workers that it could give rise to
a whole new generation of addicts.

The illegal use of Oxycodone, a powerful painkiller only available on
prescription and normally dispensed only to the terminally ill, is
spreading rapidly across parts of the US, leaving devastated communities in
its wake.

Experts say that because the drug is more potent and more addictive than
heroin, the potential for misuse is almost limitless. The small white
tablets can be swallowed whole, crushed and snorted or mixed with water and
injected. Each tablet costs UKP5 to UKP20 depending on its strength. The
most expensive are at least 10 times more powerful than anything else on
the market.

In America, where it is sold under the brand name OxyContin, the drug has
been linked to at least 300 deaths involving non-medical use in the past
two years.

Last week the first British victim was named as Samantha Jenkinson, a
pretty 18-year-old from Hull who dreamt of becoming a model. Soon after she
had paid for her first portfolio of professional pictures, she joined a few
friends for a night out on the town. They began drinking wine and beer and
smoking cannabis before going to a party in the west of the city.

A variety of pills were doing the rounds and at some point Samantha
swallowed up to seven Oxycodone. Within half an hour she had passed out and
her friends lay her down on a mattress to sleep it off. When they couldn't
wake her the following morning they called 999. Paramedics arrived and told
them their friend had been dead for several hours.

Geoff Ogden of the Hull and East Riding Drug Action Team said: 'This is the
first time we have come across the street use of this particular drug and
it is a worrying development. We have asked the police to make inquiries
about the source of the tablets. The manufacturers are also deeply
concerned. and will be meeting with me in the near future. We all want to
find out whether this was an isolated case or part of a larger batch.'

Essentially a synthetic form of morphine, OxyContin is popular because it
contains more of the active ingredient than similar products on the market.
The tablets are formulated so that the drug is released over a number of hours.

The idea was that patients would need only two tablets a day rather than
six or seven as is the case with other painkillers. However, by crushing
the tablets it is possible to get the full hit of the drug in one go. Like
other opiates, the drug is highly addictive and has led to an increase in
petty crime. In parts of the Appalachian valley in the US, 80 per cent of
crime is believed to be OxyContin-related.

In a recent report, America's drug tsar John Walters found that while the
price and purity of drugs such as heroin and cocaine had remained stable in
recent months, the abuse of OxyContin had risen rapidly.

'We are now seeing OxyContin abuse breaking out in new areas and spreading
across economic, ethnic and regional lines. It has moved from being abused
in mostly rural areas to more metropolitan areas. It is a problem for all
of us to take seriously.'

In addition to Hull, there have been reports of the use of OxyContin in
Manchester and Ireland. It is growing in popularity in Dublin and many
pharmacists in the city are refusing to stock it for fear they may become
the target of robberies by both addicts and dealers.

The abuse of prescription drugs is growing among teenagers who use them to
enhance the effects of alcohol. Although most are listed as Class A
products, teenagers believe they are safer than street drugs.

'Samantha was opposed to drugs such as heroin and ecstasy,' said her
mother, Elaine. 'I don't know where she could have got the Oxycodone from
and what would have made her take it. We have so many unanswered questions
and it looks like we may never know the truth. It's hard enough to move on
- - this makes it even harder.