As the nation battles the ongoing war on drugs, hospitals and other medical facilities’ prescription distribution practices are catching the attention of many national drug lawyers and other investigative figures. Heroine, a non-prescription drug currently illegal in the United States, is continuously being linked to some prescription medications in scientific studies. Medical practitioners are being cautioned to slow down on the disbursement of prescription pills that contain opiates until further research can prove or disprove the theory that these pills are causing a spike in heroin addiction.
The Drugs in Question
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Several reputable organizations are now claiming that heroin addiction could be the result of an addiction to painkillers containing opiate ingredients. Some of the most prescribed painkillers that fall into this category include Vicodin, OxyContin, Morphine and Fentanyl. The US Center for Disease Control uncovered an estimated six million cases of prescription based drug addictions in 2012 alone. Prescribing opiates for pain relief and other medicinal uses is becoming an increasingly frowned upon practice in the medical community. As doctors scramble for alternatives and organizations like the Center for Disease Control press for more answers, many addicts whose addictions seemingly stem from trips to their doctor or stays in the hospital continue to fall through the cracks.
Over-Prescribing
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The projected profits from opiate prescriptions are astronomically high and have continued to increase despite the national effort to head in the opposite direction. Many medical practitioners are now becoming accused of over-prescribing drugs to patients who could be unaware of the lasting side effects which include a severe opiate addiction along with extended hospital stays and the need for medical attention further down the line. Until quite recently, this form of substance abuse all too often landed on the shoulders of innocent victims who came to these medical facilities seeking aid for their injuries and left with addiction disorders they didn’t previously suffer from.
Painkillers to Heroin:
The Leap is More Common than the Medical World Would Like to Admit
A new study conducted by the State University of New York at Buffalo proved that the number of heroin users who got hooked after taking legally prescribed painkillers had increased at an alarming rate since the introduction of opiate pills like OxyContin. The participants cited heroin as being less expensive and more effective than the pills they had originally been prescribed.
A Look at Methadone
Drug lawyers representing substance abusers of the opiate preference could be familiar with the drug known as methadone, which was introduced as a cure for heroin addiction. In Florida in 2007, this “miracle cure” claimed the lives of over 785 recovering addicts. The effectiveness of methadone in heroin addiction is yet to be determined, but one thing is certain, the treatment process can be terrifying or even fatal, leading many opiate addicts to resort back to heroin in a vicious circle. The origin of the circle is often rooted in an over-prescription.
Representing Substance Abusers in a Court of Law
A quality drug lawyer should be a thorough investigator who can quickly examine the root of a problem. If a client is accused of the use or possession of a drug like heroin, an investigation into that individuals’ medical prescription history and family addiction history could shed a well needed light on their best possible criminal defense.
About the Author:
Michael D. Leader is a criminal lawyer with Fort Lauderdale law firm Leader & Leader P.A. specializing in all forms of criminal law, Leader and partner George Leader offer years of legal experience and commitment to ethics.
