Last week in the Triad, thousands of pounds of pills went up in smoke following the State Bureau of Investigation's collection of more than seven tons of unwanted and expired prescription medications.
It's part of a program called Operation Medicine Drop. The idea is to keep unused medications out of the hands of young people, and to remove the temptation for adults to use the pills and become addicted. Individuals drop off the medicine to local law enforcement agencies. It's then transferred to an EPA-approved incinerator in Alamance County, where it's destroyed.
The program is more important than ever today, when approximately one out of every three opioid prescriptions, insured by employers, is being abused. SBI Agent John Keane says those numbers have begun to trend downward slightly with increased awareness.
“Providers are now issuing prescriptions a lot more responsibly,” he says. “The controlled substance reporting system monitoring database that the state has had since 2007 can be accessed by the SBI to better track prescription fraud, and instances of doctor shopping. Through that and our being able to better train local law enforcement throughout the state in these types of crimes, the word has gotten out that the scrutiny is there.”
But Keane adds that the tightening up of prescription drug access comes with a cost. As access to opioids wanes, abusers still craving the pill's effects seek out a cheaper, more potent, and more accessible alternative: heroin. It's also deadlier. Heroin deaths in North Carolina have skyrocketed nearly 600 percent in the past seven years alone.
“The main theme that always comes out of this is we cannot arrest ourselves out of this problem,” says Keane. “People need access to affordable treatment. It all comes down to money and how badly we really want to help people who are in desperate need.”
A 2016 study showed four cities in North Carolina are among the top 20 worst in the nation for opioid abuse, with Wilmington and Hickory placing first and fifth respectively, followed by Jacksonville at 12th and Fayetteville at 18th.
Keane says the Operation Medicine Drop provides at least one drop off box in each of the state's 100 counties. Addiction rehabilitation services are available through the Department of Health and Human Services as well. They connect individuals with nearby, local drug coalitions. Keane says he's encouraged by the pending legislation in Raleigh known as The Stop Act. If it passes, the new law will further assist the SBI and providers in their efforts to curtail the prescription drug epidemic, and lead to better treatment options for those most in need.