Politics & Government

Panel Addresses Prescription Drug Abuse in Rockland County

A panel of experts spoke about the threat posed by prescription drug abuse in Rockland County at a forum in Orangetown Town Hall Wednesday night.

Rockland County Assistant District Attorney Dominic Crispino offered advice for homeowners storing prescription medication.

"Lock it up like a gun because that's the affect it's having on our kids," Crispino said.

He was part of a panel discussing the thread of prescription drug abuse in Rockland County Wednesday night in Orangetown Town Hall along.

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Other speakers included Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agents in Charge Chris Roberts and Jay Flaherty, DEA Special Agent Lou Smith, Director of the Rockland County Drug Task Force Chris Goldrick and Dr. Ammir Rabadi.

They gave a presentation regarding the scope of the problem and the types of drugs involved and took questions from a crowd that included residents, parents, town and school officials and students.

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Many of the students present were part of the Pearl River High School's junior varsity softball team, which attended as a group.

"We can't do it ourselves," Flaherty said. "We need help. This is a first step, a great step, being here to learn about it."

"The DEA, the best we can do is enforcement," Roberts said. "Having kids myself, I know the biggest thing we can do is educate people. This is an epidemic. Once you start with the pills, it's not a matter of if, it's when you will become addicted to heroin."

The use of prescription drugs often leads to the use of heroin, which is much cheaper. 

"The big problem we're seeing in suburban areas is the Oxycodone is so expensive to buy, the addict turns to heroin. It's strictly money-driven," Flaherty said. "A pill of Oxycodone can be anywhere from $20 to $80. A bag of heroin can be $5. Heroin can turn out to be a much cheaper alternative to using prescription drugs because you get the same high. They are both opiates.

"We live close to New Jersey. Patterson, from what I know, is like the heroin capital of the world, unfortunately, and it's only about a 35-minute drive from Rockland County."

One focal point of the discussion was how widespread the problem has become. Crispino asked the crowd how many knew a drug abuser.

"You probably should all be raising your hands," Crispino said. "It's hard to detect. It's not like alcohol. You can't smell it. It's not like marijuana. But I've seen lives ruined (by prescription drugs). People are dying out there."

"We cannot arrest away the prescription drug epidemic," DEA Special Agent Smith said. "(Prescription drugs) need to be locked in a cabinet as if you are storing a loaded gun, not left out or in a medicine cabinet for anyone to take."

Goldrick said that not only have the drugs of choice changed to prescription medications and synthetic drugs, the profile of the users and dealers are also different. 

"The demographics have changed," Goldrick said. "High School, college students. Lower, middle and upper class communities, both male and female, with no history with drugs are experimenting and becoming addicted to prescription drugs. The well-educated, popular student who plays violin in the orchestra, in the drama club and has dreams of becoming an artist or author is becoming addicted."

Roberts said the DEA is looking into cases of doctors or pharmacies illegally selling prescription medications. Those pills are also often stolen or acquired by patients who engage in doctor shopping, going to multiple physicians for the same prescription.

"Kids get a prescription for 180 pills," Roberts said. "In a small town like Pearl River, that may last two or three weeks. It's coming from pharmacies and from medicine cabinets. It's not a sophisticated group. It's young kids, 17 or 18 years old, stealing scripts."

Orangetown Police Chief Kevin Nulty said he has seen no evidence of a rise in thefts of prescription drugs from pharmacies. Even during armed robbery at the CVS in Pearl River in March, cigarettes were all the person stole. 

Part of the danger with these drugs is how they are used. Oxycodone is a time-release pain medication, but users often crush the pills and snort them, getting the entire effect all at once.

Smith spoke about synthetic drugs, which are purchased in stores or online. Marketed as "bath salts" with names such as Cloud 9 and Bliss, these illegal drugs are in mismarked packages. Often the users do not know what chemicals are in the drugs they take.

"The federal government got involved around 2010 and it took a couple of years to really catch up," Smith said. "We have tried to trace them back to the source. Many of the suppliers are in China. We are trying to cut the head off the dragon.

"Kids should understand. They don't know how their bodies will react. They may not wake up tomorrow."

"Our kids know the internet better than I do," Goldrick said. "We are getting packages. More and more are coming in smaller packages. We are getting inundated, not just with marijuana or crack or cocaine, but also with synthetic drugs. These are scary substances. You don't know what you are putting in your body."

There are legal dangers as well. 

"Drug abusers need money," Crispino said. "After they run out of money, they start stealing. That leads to a life of crime. It spirals out of control." 

The discussion turned to treatment, specifically the importance of getting young people help without waiting for them to be hurt or to get into legal trouble. Rabadi said it is important to watch for signs in young people.

"Look for the symptoms. If their faces are down all the time, find out why," Rabadi said. 'If they are sweating. Changes in behavior. Check their pupils.

"It's a filthy world. Be very careful."


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