Oxycontin Responsible for Violence Coast to Coast
It is unknown how many victims America’s War on Drugs has claimed, but it is safe to say that the number is in the millions. Every year, tens of thousands of people fall victim to violence directly related to the illegal drug trade, and one area that is growing exponentially is violence related to the illegal prescription drug trade. Drugs like Oxycontin can go for as much as $40 a pill on the street and everyone from addicts looking for their next fix to dealers looking to replenish their supplies are lashing out. Violence at pharmacies across the country is up drastically in the past decade and this trail of destruction is leaving families broken and lives ruined from coast to coast.
Police in Tacoma, Washington recently arrested a man they had dubbed the Oxycontin Bomber, due to the fact that the man was thought to have robbed a series of area pharmacies by leaving behind a device he told the pharmacists on duty was a bomb. In every case, the device turned out to be a hoax, but it shows a significant level of escalation in the types of violent crimes people are willing to perpetrate in the name of Oxycontin. He was arrested in mid-April 2009 moments before he was set to rob another local pharmacy. According to police, he was recognized by one of his former victims and security was called to the scene in enough time.
To help illustrate just how far addicts and dealers will go to rob pharmacies of Oxycontin, a recent case in Ohio shows just how desperate some people can be. A man, Kurtis DeWitt and his girlfriend, Megan Lilo, recently appeared on the “Dr. Phil” show to talk to the famous self-help guru about their poor lifestyle choices. DeWitt was already on probation for robbery and was wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet to track his movements. Soon after the show was taped, the two were arrested for robbing a local pharmacy of almost 500 Oxycontin pills. One must be in pretty bad shape to rob a pharmacy of pills in the first place, but to do so after appearing on nationwide television while wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet is a level of derangement many people can’t even fathom. Needless to say, the couple will be going away for a long time.
Not only can Oxycontin lead people to perform violent acts that they never would have otherwise, people under the influence of the drug can find themselves in situations that are simply unimaginable to the rest of us. A case in Hagerstown, Maryland, illustrates just how far drug addiction can make you go. A man was arrested after a home invasion where he held a loaded gun to the head of a three year old girl. It was shown later that the man had been abusing Oxycontin daily for over a month leading up to the incident. He received 20 years in jail for his crime. According to the police report, the man and an accomplice broke into the home for the sole purpose of stealing cash and prescription medications.
Many of the cases involving Oxycontin and violence are robbery attempts, either at pharmacies themselves or just outside pharmacies. Some cases even involve the pharmacist themselves selling Oxycontin on the side to street thugs who then mark up the drug considerably and sell it on the street. Often times, these pharmacists, who are either addicted to Oxycontin themselves or are addicted to the extra cash they are getting from dealing, underestimate the greed of their associates and end up wounded or dead themselves.
Is there a lesson to be learned from all of this Oxycontin related violence? It is likely that the control of these dangerous narcotics isn’t tight enough and that prescriptions can be written for almost limitless amounts of drugs for indefinite periods of time with little to no consequence. Also, the absolute power of prescribing these drugs appears to corrupt absolutely. Until the federal government steps in and significantly strengthens the regulation of highly dangerous prescription drugs, you can expect to see an even sharper increase in the amount of prescription drug related violence.