Prescription Drug Abuse Spikes In Maine

Maine, the New England state better known for its striking coastline and wilderness, has the country’s highest rate of residents in treatment to kick OxyContin, the brand name for oxycodone, and has suffered one of the nation’s biggest spikes in pharmacy robberies.

The highly addictive opiate has been blamed for a rash of drug store break-ins by desperate addicts and drug dealers who hawk the valuable pills on the black market, authorities say.

One 80-milligram tablet of OxyContin, sometimes called “OC” or “hillbilly heroin,” fetches up to $100 on the street.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/21/prescription-drug-abuse_n_851968.html?ref=email_share