POLICE FEAR SPREAD OF 'HILLBILLY HEROIN'

Hillbilly heroin -- a killer drug which has claimed more than 100 lives in
the U.S. -- has put city cops on alert.

An abuse epidemic of OxyContin is sweeping across the U.S. and authorities
north of border fear it may spread here.

"We're concerned about it," said Calgary police drug unit Det. Steve Walton.

"It is an emerging trend and more people are doing it than used to do it
because it does produce a heroin-like (affect) and it's profoundly cheaper
than heroin."

For Pain Treatment

Oxycodone drugs, like OxyContin, are prescribed for treating moderate to
severe pain.

They also include Percocet, Percodan and Tylenol 3s. Their pain-numbing
affect is released slowly when taken properly in pill form.

But abusers in the U.S. are getting around this with OxyContin by crushing
the pills and either injecting or snorting the resulting powder, which is
also known as "hillbilly heroin."

Responding to a growing number of overdoses, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration this year had warnings put on packaging so doctors would
only prescribe OxyContin to patients with serious and continuous pain.

No Evidence Here

Health Canada spokesman Andrew Swift said there is no evidence of a
Canadian epidemic, noting that no one here has died from the drug, also
called "poor man's heroin."

But Swift said Canadian authorities were still monitoring the situation,
including the number of thefts of the drug.