Although the abuse of prescriptions drugs has been climbing for the past several years, some states have yet to enact legislation to try and control it. However, many are doing what they can to keep these drugs from the people who don’t legitimately need them while maintaining ease of access for people who do. Strategies and laws vary considerably from state to state.
According to Stateline, 33 states currently have prescription drug monitoring programs. Nine more have enacted the legislation but haven’t actually started the programs due to budgetary problems. For instance, Florida passed a measure in December 2009 but doesn’t have the additional $1 million to get it off the ground.
“A recent White House study found a 400% increase in abuse from 1998 to 2008.” Four hundred percent is a dramatic jump in only a decade’s time. This growth is seen across the board, from state to state.
It’s not completely clear what’s driven the increase of prescription drug abuse though cost may have something to do with it. Another theory is the “War on Drugs” didn’t address prescription pills like it did other illegal substances, making pills far easier to get than illicit drugs.
States are now struggling to gain control of the prescription drug trade as emergency room visits connected to it have doubled from 2004 to 2008. More and more people are becoming addicted to powerful prescription painkillers and more and more people are overdosing as well.
It seems one of the most common approaches to controlling the trade is by stopping doctor shopping or the practice of visiting doctor after doctor to get more and more prescriptions. This isn’t a new practice, but now states are having to design networks accessible to doctors and pharmacies for these professionals to cross reference patients and their prescriptions.
More often than not, it’s not the user who is doctor shopping but the person who supplies the user with their pills. The illegal prescription drug trade is a lucrative business for the people who are willing to take the risks involved. The addictions created by the pills can be crippling and something the addicts would pay almost any price to satisfy.
However, those risks aren’t necessarily worth the payoff when the dealer or even the user is caught. Although it’s legal to have a legitimate prescription, it’s completely illegal to own these same drugs when they weren’t prescribed to you.
Depending on the drug and the amount you have on you, you could be facing felony charges for a simple possession. Although the penalties vary from state to state, officials across the country are cracking down.
Depending on where you live, if you are caught in possession of prescription drugs, you may qualify for something called a deferred prosecution or even to be heard in a drug court.
To find out the exact options available in your case, contact a criminal defense lawyer for a legal consultation.
About David Matson