New York Just Can't Lay Off The Oxy

The city seems to have had an oxycodone problem for some time now, with one borough issued one prescription per every four or five inhabitants. And according to new data from the Office of Special Narcotics (below), that trend shows no signs of slowing down. About 13% of the city's population has a prescription for the painkiller, a number that has doubled in the past three years. "The public flat out needs to be better informed about how widespread the problem is and how dangerously addictive these substances are," said the city's special narcotics prosecutor, Bridget Brennan. "It's pure opium. And that's an addictive drug. It's nothing to be played with."

Staten Island still had the most residents with prescriptions, and Brennan said, "If you combine that with the number of prescriptions filled for Vicodin, you get to 33 percent of the population." But in the past three years Brooklyn's prescription rate has jumped 120 percent, with ten prescriptions per 100 residents. Manhattan is up to 13 per 100, and the Bronx is at 17 per 100. However, Brennan argues that Bloomberg's proposed budget cuts would "render us really unable to fulfill our statutory duties," leaving much prescription abuse unchecked.

Senator Chuck Schumer has already called for Florida Governor Rick Scott to approve a program that would stop the prescription pill trade from the state (known as the "Flamingo Express"), and Brennan said she is reaching out to various governmental agencies for support. In November, a doctor on Staten Island was busted for writing oxycodone prescriptions to pretty much anyone who would ask.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on March 16, 2011 3:06 PM

Comments [rss]

scallywag

Why bother cleaning the streets of supposed drug addicts and dealers when the real drug addicts are the ones who talk a mean game but hopelessly give in behind closed doors.

Shouldn’t you make an appointment to see your local (dealer) doctor soon too?

http://scallywagandvagabond.co...

Guest

Does this mean that pretentious NYers will quit calling it 'hillbilly heroin'?

elizabeth wisker

I'd just like to point out that oxycodone is NOT the same as oxycontin.

Guest

Is it because one is a brand name and the other is the generic name?

cmdrogogov

It's unsurprising people want to be stoned all the time when general quality of life is to utterly shit.

zombiebob

"The public flat out needs to be better informed about how widespread the problem is and how dangerously addictive these substances are," said the city's special narcotics prosecutor, Bridget Brennan. "It's pure opium. And that's an addictive drug. It's nothing to be played with."

Good to know Bridget Brennan is a complete idiotard. Oxy IS NOT Opium, pure or otherwise. If she were to say it's time-release oxycodone without the paracetamal , she'd be right. It's an opiate, but it aint opium... it's MUCH stronger than opium.

As for people scarfing these down, not a good idea... but hey, people will do what they will do. How about we freakn decriminalize or legalize all drugs, cut with the BS propoganda and provide the public with real facts unfettered by moral panic politics.

Also, little known fact, Ghouliani used to sling info for the makers of oxycontin. Yep, He worked for drug dealers on the non-jaily side of the law. Scumbag.