Prescription drug abuse often has innocent beginnings. It typically starts when a person with a legitimate prescription offers to share the prescription with a family member or friend who isn't feeling well. Unfortunately, too often that helping hand can lead to a downward spiral of prescription drug abuse and even criminal activity.
According to the Daily Herald, recent statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse reveal that 20 percent of Americans have taken prescription drugs without a doctor's prescription.
The Center for Disease Control says one in five high school students have also taken the drugs for nonmedical reasons.
Main Categories of Abused Prescription Drugs
The abused prescription drugs fall into three main categories:
- Opiates: OxyContin, Fentanyl, Vicodin
- Anti-anxiety/sedatives/tranquilizers: Xanax, Valium, Librium
- Stimulants: Concerta, Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine
The problem with these drugs used to help millions of Americans with very real physical and psychological problems is that the volume being prescribed makes it easy for those friends and family members to have access to drugs not approved by a doctor for their use.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says four out of five misused prescription drugs come from family and friends.
How Legal Problems can Begin
Once someone takes a powerful pain reliever, for instance, they often experience an increased sense of well-being or euphoria that they don't get otherwise. This can lead for a desire for more of the drugs; a desire that leads so often to addiction and then to illegal doctor shopping or forging of prescriptions, theft and other serious problems with the law.
It's a problem getting more attention on local, state and federal levels. So-called "pill mills," where doctors essentially sell prescriptions for powerful pain relievers and other addictive substances have been shut down, with operators often facing prison sentences, loss of medical licenses and fines.
Individuals who engage in doctor shopping, also known as prescription fraud, can face up to three years in prison, as can doctors who knowingly issue illegitimate prescriptions.
If the struggles with prescription drug addiction you or a loved one has gone through have led to criminal charges, contact a California criminal defense attorney for a compassionate, competent evaluation of the situation and allegations. A criminal defense lawyer understands that people in legal trouble often need help for addiction problems rather than punishment for mistakes they may have made.
