"Man robs pharmacy"

This past weekend on Father's Day, a man robbed a Melford, NY pharmacy at gunpoint. Police believe his motive was to steal narcotic painkillers. The robber killed two pharmacy employees and two pharmacy customers. This was an extremely brutal crime over some pills. Some pills. Really. I find this terrifying. A man probably addicted to prescription drugs or a street supplier to those addicted to prescription drugs had the audacity to not only rob a pharmacy at gunpoint but to also make sure that there were not witnesses to his crime.
This one story disturbs me but I found something more alarming. I did a google search of "man robs a pharmacy" . 431,000 results were found. The entire first page was filled with stories of men robbing pharmacies with guns, knives, and other deadly weapons all in the past year. To be fair, I also did a search of "woman robs pharmacy". Nearly 400,000 results.
Prescription drug abuse is not hiding. Its out in the open putting innocent people in harms way.

It makes you go hmmm.

I have been a practicing pharmacist in DC for almost two years. I love helping my patients feel better with their medications. I want to believe that everyone is good and always has the best intentions. I also want to think the majority of patients' issues are with not paying attention to their medications and they truely believe that medications are only used when they need them. I know this is not always true; I have been working with drug abuse education and awareness for years now.

I have seen forged prescriptions before but one incident happened where the patient thought I as a pharmacist doing my job was out to get her. Yes, with the rise of people addicted to painkillers and other medications-I am on guard. But as a pharmacist notifying a physician about a patient overusing a medication and talking with a patient about their medication is in fact helping the patient realizing they may potientially have a problem, Painkiller abuse can destory your body. I am worried about your health. Medications are meant to help you feel better and not put you in greater danger.

Depending on the circumstances and counts in DC:
forged prescriptions have a maximum fine of $5,000 and/orimprisonment for up to 5 years

I do not want to see my patients go to jail or destroy their bodies.

Prescription Drugs Receive Top $ on the Streets

Today on CNNMoney.com there was an article about street sales of prescription drugs. Purchasing painkillers or anti-anxiety medications in a pharmacy could maybe cost you $20. There are patients who need these medications to have a decent quality of life. On the streets, these same medications can go for $100. This is appalling. Prescription drug abuse is driving this black market business into a billion dollar industry. According to the DEA, seven million people were abusing prescription medications in 2009. These seven million people are getting their drugs from somewhere. Education and awareness of prescription drug abuse can curb this problem. We have a war on drugs-prescription drugs are included. One can obtain prescription medications legally from a doctor's prescription and a pharmacy. But the supply does not stop there-abusers are forging prescriptions or they may steal from friends or family members. Those abusers who have exhausted other means are going to the black market. Black market dealers are stealing from legitimate shipments, getting supplies from pharmacies, or the biggest shocker-patients are selling their medications for cash. This black market business is scary as a pharmacist. Pharmacies are actually robbed in order for dealers to get supplies. We have got to focus just as much attention on stopping prescription drug abuse as stopping other illegal drug trafficking in the US.