Prescription Drug Addiction Blog

A recent article in the Louisville Courier-Journal documented the explosion of spending by the Kentucky government on the opiate addiction treatment drug Suboxone. Costs have risen ten-fold in two years, going from just over $600,000 in 2007 to more than $6 million in 2009 and are expected to hit nearly $11 million by the end of this year.

An Associated Press (AP) investigative journalist would find similar results in many states, and the profits from the drug-maker Reckitt Benckiser I'm sure would match, despite our own Federal Government being a co-developer of the drug. What's worse is that while the withdrawal tapering benefits of the drug have been documented in many occasions, it is being sold as more of a maintenance drug instead, which drives the costs up more and addicts still have to be detoxed or tapered back down from the drug. If the intention was only to help addicts, it would have been to use it in very short-term necessary situations and not long-term sales. Their primary intention was to make a ton of money, and it is definitely occurring now. People searching for drug rehab in Kentucky are getting swindled just like many other states. Drug rehab centers should have to be held accountable for their results.

By now we have all seen that actor Corey Haim passed away earlier this week in a tragic loss of life. While the immediate cause of death may be some sort of organ failure, there is no doubt that it is the result of a long-standing problem with drug abuse and addiction. In fact, here is the beginning of a recent article from the Associated Press:

"LOS ANGELES – The name of the late actor Corey Haim was found on a fraudulent prescription for a powerful painkiller that authorities said Friday was obtained through a major drug ring.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown's office said records of the prescription in the name of the former teen heartthrob were found during an investigation of the ring that illegally obtained prescription pads and used the stolen identities of doctors to fill them out.

"Corey Haim's death is yet another tragedy linked to the growing problem of prescription drug abuse," Brown said in a written statement. "This problem is increasingly linked to criminal organizations, like the illegal and massive prescription drug ring under investigation.""

This is yet one more reason why there needs to be more efficient electronic database records for prescription drug monitoring programs at pharmacies. Effective programs like that can help cut down on illegal prescriptions being obtained as a good preventative measure.

If you or someone you love is in need of a successful drug rehab program for an addiction to prescriptions or other drugs, contact us today by calling 1-800-516-7029.