Why is Prescription Drug Abuse So Common?

(Source: THE EXAMINER.COM)

"Twice as many teens died from prescription-drug overdoses in 2006 as from methamphetamines, heroin and cocaine combined”
- Arizona State Health Department.


Nowadays, we tend to think of environmental dangers as being threats from the outside. Whether it be air pollutants, man-made disasters or unspeakable crimes, these external threats are seen by many as inexcusable, preventable and foreign. Nonetheless, a major threat facing the Valley does not come from the outside but instead comes from a secure, friendly environment--the home. The threat: prescription drugs. Unfortunately, many seem to forget that the home milieu can be dangerous as well.

This may be due to the constant reminders of negative world events inundating our television sets every night, or the frequent sightings of emergency vehicles in-action as one drives home from work; whatever the case, these external threats seem to blind us to the dangers closest to us.

This point is poignantly illustrated by a recent article from the Arizona Republic entitled “Are you your kid’s drug dealer?”. The writer gives a personal account of a local mother’s hapless experience when her teenage son came close to death as the result of a drug overdose at school. As expected, the mother was shocked to hear that her son had overdosed and prescription medication was the culprit.



Should we really be shocked anymore? We live in an age where seemingly anything can happen--and does happen. Teenagers today are exposed to countless threats, more so than decades ago.



So what has changed within the past 10 or 20 years to make kids more vulnerable to prescription-drug abuse? The answers are many; however, I would like to focus on one possible reason-- unethical physicians.

Although may doctors are ethical, law-abiding citizens--there are many doctors that write a death sentence with their prescription pads.
I readily saw this abuse of power from one doctor during my time in retail pharmacy. For over a year, I worked as a pharmacy technician while going to school, and during this time, I would see this one physician constantly write prescriptions for heavy-duty narcotics; this person would charge patients outrageous co-pays for the “legal” reception of narcotics.

Just like a street corner in an impoverished neighborhood, this doctor was using our pharmacy as a pick-up spot for his drug-dealings. Although it was clear that these actions were very questionable to say the least, the doctor technically did not do anything illegal that warranted legal recourse.

Although the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has cracked down on unlawful doctors--more has to be done in order to prevent rampant prescription-drug abuse.



Unfortunately, dangers will always be a part of society. Some will be apparent and others, like the shadowy doctor, will be less so.