"was any different from that of thousands of others who suffer from intractable pain of one kind or another."
Lot's of people suffer pain. JUNKIES score as much JUNK as possible to deal with theirs, by any means necessary. If you're rich and don't have to steal, you just have your maid go to a dozen different doctors.
en.wikipedia.org
"The introduction of higher strength preparations in 1995 resulted in increasing patterns of abuse.[21] Unlike Percocet, whose potential for abuse is somewhat limited by the presence of paracetamol (acetaminophen), OxyContin and other extended release preparations contain mainly oxycodone. Abusers crush the tablets to defeat the time-release "micro-encapsulation" and then ingest the resulting powder orally, intra-nasally, rectally, or by injection. Research has shown that the brains of adolescent mice, which were exposed to OxyContin, can sustain lifelong and permanent changes in their reward system.[23][24] It is notable that the vast majority of OxyContin related deaths are attributed to ingesting substantial quantities of oxycodone in combination with another depressant of the central nervous system such as alcohol, barbiturates and related drugs.[25]
Illegal distribution of OxyContin occurs through pharmacy diversion, physicians, doctor shopping, faked prescriptions, and robbery. In Australia during 1999 and 2000, more than 260,000 prescriptions for narcotics and codeine-based medications were written to almost 9,000 known abusers at a cost of more than AUD 750,000.[22]
Oxycodone has been refered to as "hillbilly heroin" due to its recreational use in more rural parts of the U.S., especially Appalachia.[26]" |
