The Challenge of Prescription Drug Misuse: A Review and Commentary

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the patterns of illicit use of prescription pain relievers, of the likely structure of the illicit market, and of the complexity of pain management. It suggests that a federal enforcement policy focused on physicians is unlikely to reduce the overall use of illicit drugs, but that it is likely to have an adverse impact on the ethical structure of medical care and to compromise the effectiveness of pain treatment. Pain medications, such as OxyContin, Vicodin, and Methadone, have received increased government and media attention over the last 2 or 3 years, as the growth of their application in the treatment of patients with acute and chronic pain has been accompanied by an increase in reported drug abuse and dependence, adverse medical events, and pharmacy robberies. In response, the federal government announced a new initiative to control prescription drug abuse.1 Various proposed measures, including heightened scrutiny of physicians' practices, increased prosecution of physicians, increased restrictions on a number of pain medications, drug monitoring programs to catch “doctor shoppers,” and encouragement of more rigorous patient screening, will, it is claimed, limit the diversion of prescription medications from medical channels. In its 2002 review of OxyContin diversion, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stated “Illegal acts by physicians and pharmacists are the primary sources of diverted pharmaceuticals available on the illicit market.”2 The DEA report goes on to identify other sources of diversion, including doctor shopping, robberies, burglaries, thefts, illicit internet distribution, drug gang distribution, and foreign diversion. In view of the multiplicity of sources and the lack of quantitative information regarding the contribution of each source to the illicit market, it is not clear on what basis the DEA claimed that physicians and pharmacists are the primary sources. However, the recently proposed measures to control …