The entire United States has been battling the opioid overdose epidemic, which claimed significantly more than 28,000 lives in 2014 alone, in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ironically, at the very least half all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid. So, it becomes necessary to test the option of addictive prescription medicines for unauthorized use.
However, despite stringent federal and state laws, the addicts have the ability to procure prescription drugs. To avoid that, it’s important to learn how they get your hands on prescription drugs. Here we have a look at some of the ways addicts usually employ to procure such medications:
Doctor shopping
Based on experts, doctor shopping could be the practice of visiting various physicians to obtain multiple prescriptions to access such medicines. It’s the most frequent practice of drug addicts and illegal suppliers. A doctor who, for a cost, writes prescriptions without the formality of a medical exam or diagnosis is recognized as a “writing doctor,” depending on the Wikipedia.
The addict or the supplier thus stacks a stack of prescriptions to ensure much more drugs than needed. “The States have the primary responsibility to regulate and enforce prescription drug practice,” says the CDC, and you can find laws in certain states that prohibit patients from obtaining drugs by any or all the following means: fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, subterfuge, or concealment of material fact.
Prescription fraud
Addicts apply various tactics to procure prescriptions, like forging or altering prescriptions, generating counterfeit prescriptions, and calling pharmacies by impersonating a physician. However, the chemists are able to make out a false call or a phony prescription from the unfamiliar handwriting and prescribed quantities of the medicine.
If pharmacies desire to, they can thwart such illegal practices to a good extent. State authorities can significantly bring down the incidence of prescription drug abuse by seeking help of the pharmacies.
Seeking help of unscrupulous doctors
The addicts often access these addictive prescription drugs in connivance with the doctors who desire make a fast buck through unethical and illegal means. These erring doctors sometimes write illegal prescriptions to obtain medicines for their very own use, sometimes for addicts with a fee, and sometimes even develop a huge stock by roping in the dishonest pharmacies.
Theft of prescription
It’s been the oldest and easiest way of obtaining prescription drugs. Addicts resort to theft to have prescriptions and drugs. However, there is a far more organized scheme to the, as pharmacies, manufacturers and distributors are also sometimes part of the irregularity.
A huge amount of drugs is diverted through this syndicate, contributing to the great malady of prescription drug abuse in the country. It is important that folks related to the pharma industry act responsibly and help the nation in curbing this epidemic.
Online pharmacies
They have been among the greatest supply of unauthorized prescription drugs, flooding the marketplace with illicit opioids. These internet pharmacies sell prescription drugs to customers without requiring any valid prescriptions, and the addicts happily purchase the drugs at will.
Based on a National Focus on Addiction and Substance Abuse can you buy oxycodone online (CASA) report, these internet pharmacy sites offer benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Valium, narcotic analgesics such as fentanyl, hydrocodone and oxycodone, and stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall. None of the sites have any security procedures set up to stop children from purchasing these drugs.
Aside from these, you can find individual cases of theft, easy option of medicines at home and unsuspecting family members who take things too casually, contributing to the prescription drug abuse menace in the country.