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I'm glad to see that this epidemic is finally getting some attention, especially in the five towns area. This has been an enormous problem for over ten years. I have watched countless kids in my neighborhood fall victim to these prescription drugs being given out by MD's like M&M's. How is it that a 19 year old kid can go to a doctor with fraudulent tests results and receive 120 30mg oxycontin pills, EVERY MONTH FOR YEARS? Oxycontin is a synthetic heroin that causes almost immediate addiction. Then one or two pills don't do the trick so they take more and more to achieve the same high. Thus, accounting for the almost 17,000 deaths due to overdoses A YEAR since 2008. We lost 4000 servicemen in Iraq in five years and the country is outraged. Where is the outrage against Perdue Pharma and the doctors who are making huge amounts of money on the backs of our youth? The FDA refuses to classify hydrocodone as a schedule 2 drug making it harder to get. The DEA and committee went to them almost 7 months ago and they agreed to make the change, but they have not done it yet. Why? We are so hell bent on arresting addicts and using government resources to punish them, but we let this go on?

I have personally reported two MD's to the Nassau County DA's office and they are still in practice. So as far as Im concerned this is all lip service by this office. They say they see the problem but really do little to help the situation. The drug court in Nassau County is so mismanaged that anyone that is caught up in it runs the risk of relapse only because you have people working there that don't really understand addiction and don't know how to provide the right services for these people. These kids don't have a chance in this system unless they have a good support system at home. What about those that don't?

In my neighborhood alone, 90% of the kids from the ages 16-25 are using these pills. And then when they cant afford them they go to heroin because its cheaper. We have a major problem on our hands. These generations are going down and there is still so much ignorance in regard to this issue.

I respect what DA Rice had to say, I only hope that she continues to educate herself on this issue and attempts to find alternatives to arrests and throwing addicts in jail, such as proper rehab and relapse prevention. Right now, the rehab services offered to Nasssau County residents are sub-par, disorganized, and set people up for relapse. They need to put the energy into assuring proper transition from detox to rehab without forcing these addicts to go back on the street while they wait for a bed. The drug court mandates rehabs then when they go, the system is set up for failure because most times red tape gets in the way. They are expecting people who have a major problem to circumvent this system when they don't even have the tools to function in day to day life.

From: Prescription drugs are a problem

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