POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 63 (continued...) In the News... Drugs of Choice The Cape Bretoner.com In February of this year, Tonya Morrison entered Lawton's Drug Store in Glace Bay armed with a knife and ordered the staff to hand over the entire supply of the prescription pain killer, OxyContin. She left with over 1300 pills. Last year, a well-known local radio host, Brian King, robbed three stores at gunpoint to support his addiction to OxyContin. Both of these people are now serving time in prison. Both say their introduction to this drug was as a treatment for chronic pain. OxyContin is the trade name for the generic narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, which is a morphine-like drug derived from opium. Oxycodone and other opiates provide pain relief by attaching to opiod receptors (proteins) in the brain and spinal cord and blocking the transmission of pain messages to the brain. Although oxycodone has been on the market for a long time, OxyContin did not appear on the market until 1995. Because it is a controlled-release product that is effective for up to twelve hours, OxyContin is the longest lasting of the oxycodone pain killers available. It is also the strongest. Tablets are available in dosages from 10 mg to 80 mg (160 in the US), compared to the 5 mg dosage of other oxycodone products such as Percocet or Percodan. Unlike these other products, OxyContin is pure; it does not contain acetaminophen or other drugs. When taken as intended (that is, orally and always whole), OxyContin is a highly effective pain management product for sufferers of severe pain. Dr. Peter Littlejohn is a physician in New Waterford who has been involved in palliative care and pain management for over twenty years. "Back in the 1960s, hideous drug mixtures were used to treat severe pain. For instance, patients with lung cancer were treated with a cocktail of morphine, cocaine and alcohol. But as time went on we began to make better use of opiate drugs like oxycodone and learned to give patients good pain control without turning them into zombies." OxyContin, says Dr. Littlejohn, is an extremely valuable drug not only for patients suffering from cancer pain, but also for those who suffer from such afflictions as chronic low back pain or arthritis. "It is strong, long-lasting and pure. Long-term use doesn't cause serious kidney and liver damage the way other drugs do." One of the attributes of the oxycodone drug is that it is absorbed into the system very rapidly -- a plus for patients in severe pain. But Dr. Littlejohn says it is one of the reasons why the drug is so popular on the street. "This rapid onset allows addicts to get high quickly, and that makes it very attractive." When OxyContin is chewed rather than taken whole, dissolved in water and injected, or crushed and snorted into the nostrils, the time release mechanism is disabled and the potentially lethal dosage is released immediately and absorbed by the body. The user experiences a rush similar to heroin; in fact, it is known as "the poor man's heroin." After a short period of use, the mind and body become obsessed with the pleasurable rush and a physical craving can develop quickly. Addiction is generally the end result. According to the local police, OxyContin showed up here on the street about four years ago, but the problems associated with it have escalated over the last two years. Staff Sgt. Paul Jobe has worked in drug enforcement for sixteen years. "People often start off using it for pain," he says, "but many will continue to use it after the pain is gone because it makes them feel good. By the time they realize they have a problem, it's too late. They're already addicted. As their bodies develop a tolerance for it, they need more and more of the drug. This often leads people to criminal behaviour and all sorts of problems." Because OxyContin is a prescription drug, the only legitimate way to obtain it is through a doctor. According to Sgt. Jobe, there are dealers who make a habit of travelling around from town to town until they find a doctor who will write them a prescription. When the quest for legitimate prescriptions fails, the next best thing is to forge one. "There are people," says Sgt. Jobe, "who leave in the morning and go around all day with phoney prescriptions to drug stores. With the hefty street price -- anywhere from $10 to $80 a pill -- it only takes one or two prescriptions to make it worth their while." Ways to acquire the pills seem to be limited only by the imagination of those who seek them. Some of the more desperate will resort to break and enter, or armed robbery, to get the pills from a doctor's office or pharmacy. Some steal the pills from cancer patients, some will even steal from ill family members. By Pat O’Neil
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