Florida is planning to cut the drug rehab and treatment budget by $30 million. They are also planning on cutting the Department of Corrections budget by $160 million. The federal government has announced plans to cut budgets for money used to investigate drug smuggling and drug dealing. In Florida they are going to pilot a program to eventually end doctor shopping. Sounds like everyone is on the same page here – fewer available prescription drugs, less money to fight drug crimes, less money for prisons, but also less money for drug rehab.

What does this all add up to? The drug dealers will be dancing in the streets. People who are currently addicted to or dependent on OxyContin and other prescription painkillers, for example, will switch to heroin – something the dealers have lots of, and it’s cheap. In fact, we have spoken to several addicts who are already switching from OxyContin to heroin because of cost.

Some have entered Florida drug rehab or drug detox; others are still on the street, sweating out how to get drugs.

People too old to get off prescription drugs without help will be in pain if not hospitalized and the citizens of Florida will be confused as the crime rates go up. I hope the government wakes up and puts all these things together. They need a plan that includes drug detox and drug rehab or the prison system might be full of doctors, lawyers, moms, dads and grandparents. If you a drug user of any sort, get into drug detox or drug rehab program before you lose your supply.

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The State of Florida will need a plan for drug rehab and drug detox. Broward County Sheriff Sgt. Lisa McElhaney is working with State officials to create a pilot program to end doctor shopping in Florida. That is one of the steps needed to put an end to Florida’s prescription drug problem. However, there is more to the story: While Sgt. McElhaney works to stop doctor shopping and prescription drug abuse, the budget committee and the Governor of Florida are in the process of cutting the budget for drug rehab programs. This is just crazy - who is going to quit cold turkey when the pills are no longer available? Only a handful of people are able to quit opiates on their own without drug detox, the vast majority fail. So the end result will be more crime and more prison beds for addicts. Of course, the State could put a plan together to help people who are dependent or addicted to prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Xanax or Ritalin. Probably way too much bureaucracy to get through, but if it’s not done I predict the crime rate will soar. People should know that Afghanistan produces twice as much heroin as U.S. addicts need. Anyone who can’t get pills and can’t go through a drug detox and a drug rehab will search out and find heroin as an alternative.  If you are hooked on OxyContin, Xanax or any prescription drugs get yourself into a drug rehab program. If you know the Governor, please warn him before it is too late. More crime or drug rehab, it is the State’s choice.

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Popularity: 16% [?]

Not your usual courtroom scene - families, laughter, beaming smiles on all, this day in court celebrates the most recent 25 graduates from drug court. Many of these families - including that of Pamela Erlston who had been battling drug addiction for 27 years and lost her children because of it - are reunited and looking forward to a bright future as a fully functional family thanks to the California drug rehab programs they did through drug court. Pamela was in rehab for a year - the longest she’s ever been clean - and was accompanied by her husband and children when she attended court.

The other great thing about drug court is that it is cheaper for the state to put someone through drug rehab than it is to keep them in prison - where they’re not going to really get much help at all.

This is the just the kind of courtroom drama we need. Unfortunately, going to prison is’t much of a win-win situation. If we have to spend money on people who are for one reason or another being supported by the state, where drugs are involved there’s no better investment of public funds than in a drug rehab program that will turn lives around. However, a word to the wise, if you know someone with alcohol and drug addiction problems, get them help now. Don’t wait til they wind up in court.

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One in five high school students are taking prescription stimulants. Reports vary concerning college students, but it could be as many as one in three - depending on which school you’re talking about. Adderall, Ritalin, and Provigal are the most common drugs used – as study aids and attention enhancers. Unfortunately many students using them will become addicted and need drug rehab in the future.

Incredulously, Dr. Anajan Chatterjee, a psychiatrist from the

University of

Pennsylvania, has put a name to this activity – “cosmetic neurology”. He compares it to changing your body - add a little here, take away a little there, change the shape of your nose, cheeks or chin. But if you want to change your mind, you use ‘cognitive enhancers’ for cosmetic neurology. Big Pharma must love this, another outlet for their drugs.

Dr. Chatterjee says it’s inevitable; if your 9-year-old isn’t hitting a curve ball, get some cognitive enhancers. If you can’t hit a back hand, try a cognitive enhancer. You don’t even need an ADD diagnosis to get the drugs you need for this edge.

photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

However, it does fly in the face of President Bush’s recent campaign against prescription drug abuse. Of course you have to ask the question – if you get the drugs by prescription, is it really abuse? Many people in the

U.S. don’t think so – they think they’re safe if they got the drugs from a doctor, but they’ll still need drug rehab to get off them.

In 2006 the Harvard Crimson published Harvard on Speed, an article about stimulant abuse, one student featured in the article, Ryan, was both scornful and amused about being diagnosed with ADD. I wonder if he was a seller or a user. At Harvard it is suspected that up to 30% of the students use prescription stimulants to.

University of

California Santa Barbara has the same problem. In a recent news article, David Rabie, a UCSB student said the use of prescription stimulants is “out of control.” In 2005, the Daily Nexus, the newspaper of the same school discussed the growing trend then.

In Northern California at

Palo Alto High School and Los Altos High recent reports show students routinely use prescription stimulants. Pressure to get into a good school is cited by some of the students who use cognitive enhancers to achieve better grades. The trend doesn’t stop there, students at Stanford University have just as much pressure as the UCSB students so I am sure the numbers are similar there.

photo credit: danielle_blue

There is tremendous pressure to succeed in college: like an athlete using drugs to become a high draft pick or get a scholarship, the pressure to get the best grades and stay on top of the class are huge. According to Denise Pope of Stanford - Some students will cheat (75% of high school students do) and the ones who cheat the most are those with the most to lose, the straight A, advanced placement and honor roll students. These cheating students will have no trouble deciding to use these stimulants to get the upper hand if they become more available. With an endorsement from a doctor for cognitive enhancers and a few cheat sheets the top students can achieve success.My wife thinks I need more cognitive enhancement, but I think I’ll stick to my morning coffee. With any luck, I won’t eventually wind up in drug rehab for that. If you know someone who is addicted to prescription drugs get them some drug rehab it may be the most effective cognitive enhancement of all.
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I don’t understand why the Florida budget for drug rehab is being cut by $36 million. Florida is the prescription drug addiction, dependency and abuse capital of the U.S. Drug addicts travel to the “pill state“ from all over the U.S. to buy prescription drugs. Of course, there are also the addicts who already live here – both those who have a problem with prescription drugs and those who use street drugs like heroin and cocaine. And then there’s the elderly who have become addicted to their meds such as OxyContin, Xanax or Valium. How are these people going to get drug rehab when the budget is being cut?

Prescription drug use is also exploding in the high schools and middle schools and as those people continue to take them the situation will get even worse. As will the demand for Florida drug rehab and drug detox.

The DEA calls Tampa ground zero for Internet marketing of prescription drugs – which also says something about the drug-related crime in the state. It is estimated that 67% of the inmate population is there for drug-related crimes. Getting them through a drug rehab program not only cuts down on the crime, unlike sending them to prison – cause they’re just going to go out there and do it again - it’s even cheaper.
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Two groups who might like the idea of sending drug offenders to jail are Corrections Corp of America and GEO group, which run some of the Florida prisons for the state. The more full prison beds they have, the higher their profits.

But what other entities could possibly benefit from a budget cut is beyond me.

Florida doesn’t need fewer drug detox and drug rehab facilities – its needs more. The Governor and other political figures should really take a look at this situation and solve the drug problem with a good Florida drug rehab program instead of more prison beds.

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Felonies are committed daily across the U.S. by people trying to get their hands on OxyContin. In Kentucky Michael Huffman and Mary Cobb were arrested for allegedly stealing $82,000 worth of the drug from a Rite Aid. In Texas a man stole 800 OxyContin pills from Flower Mound pharmacy. A pleasant stay in a good drug detox or drug rehab program for these people is not likely.

In Texas the crime was committed at gun point and no doubt the thief is on his way to prison rather than a drug rehab in Texas. The circumstances of the robbery in Kentucky are unclear, but you can pretty much count on the fact that the pharmacy staff didn’t just hand them over because they were asked politely. They’re probably also on their way to prison since they probably won’t fall under  the proposed law to give non-violent drug offenders another chance through Kentucky drug rehab.

Luckily for Purdue Pharma, they will be paid for these drugs and their sales will not suffer at all. I hope congress realizes the cost to the tax payers for the OxyContin epidemic that has been created by this dangerous drug.

Drug detox and drug rehab is the best thing to do if you have developed an OxyContin addiction or dependency, or for any other opiate for that matter. If you know or suspect you are dependent or addicted, or feel the urge to rob a pharmacy because you can’t get any more pills, find out how to get into a drug rehab or drug detox instead.

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Is there any connection between OxyContin and the rise of the prison population in Kentucky? Is the need for more drug rehab and drug detox related in any way to the outbreak of prescription drug abuse, especially OxyContin?

In Kentucky, an estimated 80% of the prison population is there because of drug or alcohol crimes. Senate Majority leader Dan Kelly, R- Springfield, has sponsored a bill to allow some drug offenders to go to a Kentucky drug rehab. This could help a lot, and lower the prison expenses for the state.

In 1980 Kentucky had 3,700 people in their prison system, today they are 22,600 felons behind bars. The cost in 1980 was $30 million and the cost today is $431 million. The cost per prisoner has obviously gone way up - from $8,100 a year to nearly $20,000 a year. You could probably find a good drug rehab for much less. With the high percentage of people in jail because of drugs and alcohol, a good drug rehab may be the best thing.

Senator Kelly is certainly on the right path.

One other point that the politicians should look: When did the prison population really start to accelerate? Kentucky has been hard hit from OxyContin addiction and with 80% of the population in jail because of drugs or alcohol there may be a correlation between the two.

It might not take too much to figure it out - look at when OxyContin was approved and look at a chart of prison population growth. I would bet there is a correlation. Regardless, for non-violent offenders a drug detox and a drug rehab program would definitely be cheaper than two or three years in jail.

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People who face felony charges in Kentucky may be able to get the drug detox and drug rehab they need. Senate Bill 72, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dan Kelly, R-Springfield, would allow the department of corrections to set up an intensive secure drug rehab program for certain drug felony charges. The programs would run for 3 months to a year and allow people to avoid a felony conviction.

Programs such as these might reduce the growing prison population. Prescription drug abuse is a major problem in Kentucky and if this new bill catches even a few people who are not hardened criminals, the program could be a success – Kentucky is such a hotbed for prescription drug users, some of whom turn to crime to feed their habits, anything that stops that vicious cycle will be good, even if it is in a secure facility.

After care is also being addressed in the bill, which could also prove to be helpful for people who became addicted to drugs and turned to crime.

There will also be skills training – which I hope will include life skills. At Drug Rehab Referral we send people to drug rehabs that have life skills programs and the success rate seems to be better (from our experience).

Drug rehab and drug rehab in Kentucky is desperately needed - and this is a good step.

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Senator Dan Kelly’s bill to send non violent drug offenders to a drug rehab in Kentucky is gaining steam. The prescription drug problem in Kentucky is going to continue causing difficulties and this bill is key to overcoming them. When you send someone to prison that isn’t a “real criminal” they sometimes learn how to be one while they’re in there. Kentucky drug rehab is going to make a big difference - as long as it also includes a life skills program.

Senator Kelly should learn as much as he can about opiate addiction. OxyContin, methadone and Vicodin are difficult to withdraw from and Xanax also causes extreme withdrawal symptoms. Senator Kelly should be aware of that. The benefits of doing a drug detox before people go into drug rehab is also something Senator Kelly should understand.

I’m glad Senator Kelly’s bill is attracting enough attention to pass. Addicts are not usually lifetime criminals and with doctors, lawyers and soccer moms having difficulty with prescription drug addiction and dependency, this bill makes a lot of sense.

If you live in Kentucky and know someone with a prescription drug problem get them into a drug detox or a drug rehab program.

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“If there would be asbestos in their local school, the parents would raise hell - and when parents feel as strongly about the infestation of drugs into their schools as they do asbestos, the situation will change,” said John Califano, Chairman of the Board and President of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.  Will there be enough drug detox and drug rehab centers available to handle it?

Unfortunately, although there are thousands of drug detox and drug rehab centers all over the U.S., some don’t have a great reputation. Look at what’s happened to some of the celebrities in the news - Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and several others have gone to rehab over and over again and still aren’t clean.

If people with alcohol or drug problems carefully research the success rates of drug rehab programs, rather than just choosing something that seems to be the most convenient for one reason or another, there’s a good chance they can get their prescription drug addiction, dependency or abuse resolved.

Public awareness of the problem will also go a long way in prevention. Few people would think twice about even living in a home with asbestos in it: if they were just as cautious about prescription drugs, it will wreak havoc with the demand. It will also reduce burgeoning waiting lists for drug rehab programs.

Big Pharma, which is already in big trouble, would no longer profit from the billions of dollars spent on advertising a drug culture and, instead, would be forced to refocus on creating drugs that save lives.

To find out more about the prescription drug addiction situation, listen to the broadcast of a 30-minute interview with Califano, to be aired on the Prescription Addiction Radio Show on WGUL 860 AM on Sunday night, March 16th, or on the Internet at www.860wgul.com. And if you need help, call Drug Rehab Referral to find a drug rehab program that will work for you.

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