Prescription Drug Abuse Rampant in North Carolina’s Columbus County
Posted on November 18, 2009North Carolina’s Columbus County was found to dispense the most prescription drugs in the entire state on a per capita basis. Columbus County Sheriff Chris Batten said prescription drug trafficking has surpassed the county’s cocaine and marijuana problem.
Sheriff Batten explained that when used properly, Percoset can be an effective painkiller, but for drug abusers, they provide an instant high. "They’ll crush it into a powder form, either ingest it, or sniff it, so it gets into the blood stream faster, and creates a very, very active personality in those people,” Sheriff Batten said.
The county is facing the largest prescription drug trafficking problem it has ever seen. Since January, twelve people have died in the county as a result of abusing prescription drugs.
Sheriff Batten says the problem starts in doctors’ offices. "My physician does not prescribe any medication unless he gives me a full exam on me for the problem I am complaining about,” he said.
If dealers and users can’t get them from the doctor, they go to the pharmacy.
"If you look around town, most pharmacies have bars on them now. There is a reason for that. It’s gotten to be such a problem,” said Danny McNeill, a pharmacy owner.
Most of the time, McNeill says, abusers are looking for drugs like Fentanyl and OxyContin. He says he gets suspicious when a customer tries to refill their prescription early.
The law states that prescriptions can only be filled on or after the refill date, so when someone insists on getting theirs early, it raises a flag that they may be trying to distribute the drugs illegally.
As for the people who legitimately need these medications, McNeill says educating them is important too. "I try to explain to them that people are going to try and buy those medications, or steal them. That you need to keep them under wraps, and to not even let folks know that you have it."
Sheriff Batten has compiled a list of medical professionals whose names keep popping up as having dispersed pills to users in the community. Batten hopes to put together a task force to launch an investigation into these doctors and pharmacists.
