Lehman Brothers’ Former COO Faces Charges for Forging OxyContin Prescription
Bradley Jack, the former COO of Lehman Brothers’ and at one time primary contender for the now bankrupt company’s presidency, was arrested recently on charges of forging a prescription for OxyContin and Ritalin.
Jack was with Lehman Brothers’ until 2005. During that time he also survived a painful bout with cancer. It’s likely but not proven that he became addicted to prescription painkillers such as OxyContin during this time period. In fact, one book about the Wall Street firm reports that Jack was finally removed in ’05 based in part on allegations or rumors that he was abusing prescription medications such as Oxy.
OxyContin is one of the most highly addictive prescription medications in existence. It is also one of the most frequently abused. Because it contains such a high concentration of oxycodone, drug abusers are able to easily use it to get high by crushing and snorting it or else dissolving it and injecting.
OxyContin has been reported to produce a high similar to heroin, and in fact is referred to as “Hillbilly Heroin” on the streets. Abuse of OxyContin has become a serious problem in the U.S.
New Inquest into OxyContin-related Deaths Makes Recommendations
A new inquest conducted into the OxyContin-related deaths of two Canadian citizens has recently concluded and made several dozen recommendations.
The highlights of these recommendations include a suggestion that doctors should be compelled to break patient confidentiality and inform police if drug abuse is suspected, and that several commonly abused dosages of OxyContin should be banned from Canadian pharmacies. They also suggested that people who are given high dosages of OxyContin should be registered in order to avoid abuse where possible.
The deaths of two Canadian citizens in the same apartment within a two day period was the impetus of this inquest. Both died from an OxyContin overdose.
One of these overdose victims, Donna Bertrand, got her doctor to increase her daily dose of OxyContin by a factor of twelve in just 13 months, despite the fact that police had warned this doctor that her reports of stolen meds were in question.
While greater regulation of OxyContin prescription is in order to make abuse more detectable, perhaps this inquest missed the point. The main problem was that these two Canadian citizens were addicted to OxyContin. Thus the real solution would be to help these people overcome addiction. More attention and budget needs to be put into effective rehabilitation for those people who are hooked on the highly addictive OxyContin and other drugs, so that this tragedy is less likely to repeat.
Detroit Major OxyContin Supply Point
Drug dealers are using Detroit as a supply station from which to smuggle OxyContin to drug users as far south as Alabama.
Criminals are able to buy OxyContin relatively cheaply through a network of corrupt Detroit doctors and pharmacists, and then travel to other cities and states where demand is high yet supply is low.
One law enforcement official from West Virginia said that OxyContin from Detroit has sold for as much as $250 per pill in his state, and is never sold much cheaper than $125 per pill.
Detroit is not the only area in the U.S. with a bad rap for corrupt doctors and pharmacies. Florida, for example, recently caught heat for the way its “pill mill” pain clinics had spiraled out of control, dishing out thousands of prescriptions to sketchy customers with little regulation.
Unfortunately, many states have to bear the burden of law enforcement and legislative failures in other segments of the country. For example, in some portions of West Virginia, a majority of the drug cases brought before their courts concern defendant drug dealers from Detroit who staked out West Virginia turf to sell on.
Of course, the real solution to OxyContin abuse is to end OxyContin addiction through effective education and rehabilitation. If you or someone you love needs help with OxyContin addiction, we can help. Our toll free hotline stands ready to assist you 24/7. Call us now at 1-877-340-3602.
OxyContin addiction is an escalating problem in the United States. Many long term drug rehabs are unable to deal with addiction created by these prescription medications. If you or a loved one is hooked on these medications, you need to seek an expert. Call us now.
Kentucky Police Arrest OxyContin Thief
Clarksville police may have cracked the mystery of a string of pharmacy robberies occurring in the past few days when they apprehended David Preston Saunders, a 26 year old Kentucky resident.
Saunders entered a Kentucky Walgreens in the late afternoon and spoke with the pharmacist about various types of medications. Saunders asked if the pharmacy carried OxyContin, and when the pharmacist answered in the affirmative, Saunders pulled a gun on her and informed her that she was being robbed.
The pharmacist gave him two containers of OxyContin, at which point he fled the scene. Police caught Saunders, however, and he was positively identified in a police lineup.
It yet remains to be determined whether or not Saunders was stealing OxyContin to support his own drug habit, or whether he was stealing it to sell. “Oxy” has a high street value because the time release capsules have a high concentration of oxycodone compared to other similar painkillers. The drug is typically crushed or dissolved and then taken all at once to get high. Users report an effect similar to that of heroin.
In fact, opioids are designed to mimic heroin and other opiates in their effect. The drug is so highly coveted on the street for its ability to produce a high that it sometimes sells for as much as $250 per pill.
If you or someone you love needs help overcoming addiction to OxyContin or other drugs, we can help. Our long term drug rehabs have been used as an effective solution for years.