Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription Drug Abuse

Families in Eastern Kentucky are trying to deal with addiction to pain killers. Coal mining

families have been hit especially hard from the prescription drug abuse epidemic because of the miners getting hurt on the job, therefore being prescribed pain medications that have addicting affects. Prescription drug abuse has become widespread through the Eastern Kentucky Coalfields; therefore, coalitions have been formed to combat against the addiction by prevention, treatment, and awareness.

Operation UNITE (unlawful narcotics investigations treatment and awareness) is a drug task force that has been formed to help people that has fell ill to drug abuse. Operation UNITE’s mission statement states: “Operation UNITE works to rid communities of illegal drug use through undercover narcotics investigations, coordinates treatment for substance abusers, provides support to families and friends of substance abusers, and educate the public about the dangers of using drugs. UNITE’s goal is to educate and activate individuals, by developing and empowering community coalitions, to no longer accept or tolerate the drug culture”(Operation UNITE 2006). One of the reason’s this operation was formed is because of the “pain pill epidemic” going on right now in Eastern Kentucky. Many coal miners have seen the demons of addiction and what it can do to a person and that person’s family. Most of the addictions have started out with the coal miners getting hurt under ground and the physicians have prescribed a high powered pain medicine called Oxycontin. The Oxycontin pill is so powerful that addicts will scrape the coating off of the pill to snort it and get high. The Canadian Medial Association Journal reports that Oxycontin has been dubbed “hillbilly heroin” (CMAJ 2003). The addiction has become so bad that the addicts are going from doctor to doctor to get the pain medicine, and this is called “doctor shopping” (Operation UNITE 2006), so the state of Kentucky has developed an online program called KASPER , which stands for: Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (Kentucky cabinet for health and family services). This program helps to prevent addicts going from one doctor to another, and then going from one pharmacy to another.

Treatment programs have also been multiplied in the last few years in Eastern Kentucky to help addicts overcome this disease. Eastern Kentucky has opened several outpatient services, one being KRCC (Kentucky River Community Care). This is a clinic with a team of doctor’s and psychiatrists that are there to help with the people and families suffering from addiction. In most cases at KRCC the treatment is free. Most of the addicts, sometime down the line, have had dealings with the authorities, whether it being by selling, or buying prescription medication; therefore Eastern Kentucky has opened what is called a “drug court”. This helps free up the main courthouse of the overwhelming flood of cases coming in daily, not only that, but the drug court has treatment waiting on each defendant that has got into trouble with drugs. Eastern Kentucky does not only want to get the addicts off the streets that are committing crimes, but help them get well. While it is important to arrest those involved with illegal drug activities and to provide education to keep our youth from becoming drug users, the only way to break the cycle of addiction is to increase the availability of treatment beds (Operation UNITE 2006).

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