OxyContin Update
(03-12-01)
News Analysis By Terence T. Gorski
On March 12, 2001 Roger
Alford of the Associated Press posted another article from Hazard KY on the
abuse and addiction potential of the pain killer OxyContin (street name Oxy).[i]
This news report repeated factual information contained in a previous news
release posted by the Associated Press (AP) on March 2, 2001 and added some
emotionally powerful personal accounts of the damage done by OxyContin abuse and
addiction.
Alford makes a strong
case for the human pain caused by the abuse and addiction potential by referencing
the personal experiences of:
·
Norma
Ratliff whose son was shot to death by two men who rifled through his
pockets looking for OxyContin;
·
Franklin
McIntosh a former motorcycle shop service manager who was jailed after
robbing a bank to fund his Oxy addiction; and
·
Cindy Fugate, whose
mother, Sandra Fugate Riddle, died of an OxyContin overdose at a roadside motel
while shooting up with friends. Sandra
Fugate was a caring and involved single parent who began using OxyContin, became
preoccupied with her drug use, and distanced herself from her daughter and
friends as she became more deeply involved the underground drug community in the
months before her death.
He reports the
following factual information:
1.
The authorities in several states are voicing concern as more illicit
drug users start to use and abuse OxyContin
2.
Officials from the drug enforcement efforts of five states and the
federal government met with the drug's manufacturer, Purdue Pharma of Stamford,
Conn., earlier this month to discuss solutions to the problems of OxyContin
abuse and addiction. No
representatives from the drug treatment industry were present at this meeting.
3.
At this meeting law enforcement representatives reported that since March
of 2000,
A.
OxyContin is abused in one of two ways:
the tablets are ground into powder and snorted like cocaine; or the
powder is mixed with water and injected it like heroin.
B.
The drug is popular because users report that it produces a high that is
more euphoric than other narcotics
C.
OxyContin overdoses have resulted in at least 59 deaths in Kentucky's
mountain region and 32 deaths in Virginia.
D.
There has been a significant increase in crimes, such as robberies of
pharmacies, residential burglaries and bank heists, as users steal to feed their
addictions.
E.
In February 2000 the Kentucky police arrested more than 200 people in a
single day on OxyContin-related charges. (The
article was unclear as to the law enforcement methods used to identify and
apprehend these OxyContin users or whether they were charged, arrested, and
arraigned on the charges. To arrest
200 people requires a major drug enforcement effort.
The cause for initiating this effort and the groups of people targeted
for the enforcement efforts were not identified.)
4.
At that meeting Dr. J. David Haddox, senior medical director for health
policy at Purdue Pharma, stated that:
A.
OxyContin is safe when used properly under a physician's supervision.
B.
Purdue Pharma wants to make sure that OxyContin is used for patients for
whom it is appropriate and that it is not given to those who don't need it or
who would abuse it
C.
Purdue Pharma is planning programs to educate health care providers about
prescription drug abuse, and inform doctors about tamper-resistant prescription
pads.
D.
Dr. Haddox did not reference efforts to educate health care providers
about:
(1)
Addiction screening tests that can be integrated into routine health care
procedures
(2)
How to develop a referral network for patients who may have problem with
prescription drug abuse or addiction
(3)
How to coordinate ongoing pain management treatment with addiction
treatment for clients who have become dependent upon the drug.
5.
Dr. Art Van Zee of the St. Charles Community Health Clinic in Virginia
reported to the Associated Press that the preventative measures don't go far
enough. A Virginia physician. He is
circulating a national petition to ban OxyContin, even though he recognizes the
benefits for patients with chronic pain. He
believes that the potential harm of the drug far outweighs it’s clinical
benefits as a pain killer.
On the Net: http://www.OxyContin.com
; http://www.pain.com/painexpo/exhibits/purdue/oxycontin.cfm
