Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
.jpg "Research Chemical Sciences")
.png "Research Chemical Sciences")
Law enforcement officials to hold summit on 'Oxy' drug
The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (February 27, 2001 3:18 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Richmond will host a gathering of law enforcement officials from eight Eastern states on Thursday as they discuss how to stem the abuse of OxyContin, a powerful synthetic morphine blamed for dozens of deaths.
The summit was called by Attorney General Mark Earley of Virginia, where at least 32 deaths have been blamed on the prescription painkiller over the past four years. At least 59 OxyContin overdose deaths have been reported in Kentucky in the past year.
Several states, including Virginia, said they have seen crime surge as addicts rob and steal to get the drug. On Monday, a federal grand jury indicted five people from Virginia and one from Ohio on charges of running an illegal OxyContin ring.
The drug, prescribed for cancer victims and others suffering severe pain, is known on the streets as Oxy or OC. Abusers crush the pills into powder and snort it, or dilute it and inject it.
OxyContin, produced by Purdue Pharma of Norwalk, Conn., and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1996, is popular across the nation, especially in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Maine, according to the Justice Department.
A Purdue Pharma representative plans to speak at the summit. In a letter to Earley two weeks ago, vice president Michael Friedman said Purdue Pharma is taking steps to curb unauthorized use of the drug.
The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (February 27, 2001 3:18 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Richmond will host a gathering of law enforcement officials from eight Eastern states on Thursday as they discuss how to stem the abuse of OxyContin, a powerful synthetic morphine blamed for dozens of deaths.
The summit was called by Attorney General Mark Earley of Virginia, where at least 32 deaths have been blamed on the prescription painkiller over the past four years. At least 59 OxyContin overdose deaths have been reported in Kentucky in the past year.
Several states, including Virginia, said they have seen crime surge as addicts rob and steal to get the drug. On Monday, a federal grand jury indicted five people from Virginia and one from Ohio on charges of running an illegal OxyContin ring.
The drug, prescribed for cancer victims and others suffering severe pain, is known on the streets as Oxy or OC. Abusers crush the pills into powder and snort it, or dilute it and inject it.
OxyContin, produced by Purdue Pharma of Norwalk, Conn., and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1996, is popular across the nation, especially in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Maine, according to the Justice Department.
A Purdue Pharma representative plans to speak at the summit. In a letter to Earley two weeks ago, vice president Michael Friedman said Purdue Pharma is taking steps to curb unauthorized use of the drug.
