Prescription Drug Crimes Growing in Florida
Posted on December 29, 2010Prescription drugs do a significant amount of good within the healthcare industry, providing relief to those with chronic pain and other ailments that can greatly impact the quality of life. A problem develops, however, when that prescription becomes a necessity to satisfy an addiction and that addiction leads to violence.
An Orlando Sentinel report found that violent crimes often follow prescription drug abuse. One example was the actions of two Central Florida men who demonstrated their ability to use violence to get what they wanted in a local pharmacy.
According to police reports, the men entered a Tampa CVS, pistol-whipped the store manager and stole a significant amount of prescription medication. Fleeing from police, the men then crashed their stolen truck, forced a woman out of her Toyota to steal her vehicle, and later hijacked a second woman at gunpoint.
Even as federal authorities were tracking the men, one of the two continued his violent activities across Orlando. Identified as Joshua Wilkes, this man carjacked a woman at gunpoint and then led police on a pursuit. Wilkes had about 1,000 prescription pills in a backpack when authorities finally stopped him.
Like many drug users in Florida, Wilkes was controlled by his addiction and sought to satisfy his craving at any cost. The proliferation of pain clinics and lax state laws has made Florida the perfect destination for prescription drug dealers and addicts.
In a nation where 75 to 80 percent of crime is linked to alcohol or drug abuse, Florida has set the stage for violent crimes. In Orange County alone the number of cases with hydrocodone- and oxycodone-trafficking charges increased by more than 600 percent in the last five years. This trend highlights a significant and growing problem.
