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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
The Oxy dilemma
Inadequate defences let drug scourge spread
JOE.BRYKSA@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image
In March, OxyContin prescriptions were restricted to cancer patients or those with chronic conditions who can’t tolerate or benefit from other medications. Doctors need to contact Manitoba Health for approval before patients can obtain Pharmacare coverage for their prescription.
Seven years ago, OxyContin was barely on the radar. in Manitoba. That changed in 2007, when frontline addiction workers began to report an alarming rise in the number of young people addicted to powerful opiates such as OxyContin.
Suburban teens from Winnipeg and rural communities who experimented with the drug at parties found they couldn’t stop taking it, and more and more began to trickle into detox.
The abuse was propagated by the illicit resale of the prescription drug, which can turn profits up to $80 a pill.
In a few short years, the face of opiate addiction changed dramatically.
For the full story, see today's newspaper or our fpNews electronic edition.
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