An increase in prescription drug abuse is keeping area law enforcement and prosecutors busy.
The trend has been blamed for a crime increase in some counties, overcrowding in many jails and an increase in court case loads.

In Dickenson County, sheriff Bobby Hammons said drug abuse is a "severe problem" that's tough to fight. While illegal drugs have been a problem for many years, an increase in prescription drug abuse during the last decade has created a new dilemma for police.





Surveys indicate the majority of substance abusers in Southwest Virginia have turned to prescription opioids or painkillers to satisfy their needs, but other drugs are still in demand.





In addition to opioids, two other classes of prescription drugs are commonly abused. One type is central nervous system (CNS) depressants, which are used to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other maladies. Stimulants are also commonly sought after prescription drugs.





When it comes to getting their drug of choice, addicts can be crafty. Many steal prescription medication from family members, while others "doctor shop" to get the prescription they desire.





Tazewell County Commonwealth Attorney Dennis Lee blames drug abuse for about 80 percent of crime in his county.





Recently, the county jail held more than 230 inmates. There was also between 600 and 800 people on supervised probation and about 2,000 people from Tazewell County in the penitentiary, said Lee. A day has even been set aside on the county's court docket for just cases involving charges of driving under the influence of drugs, Lee said.





Lee said when he became commonwealth attorney in 1992, there was a considerable problem in his county with marijuana and alcohol abuse. Prescription drugs accounted for only a small part of the drug abuse problem then.





"We had hydrocodone, we saw Percodan and a little Tylenol, a little bit of cocaine here and there, but that was pretty much the problem," said Lee.





However, he said about 1996, Tazewell County officials began seeing more hard-core opiates. About 1997, the use of the prescription painkiller OxyContin became widespread in the county.





"Alcohol used to be the underlying cause of our crimes, but today, we have 18 to 30 year-olds who are using upward of 200 milligrams of OxyContin a day," Lee noted.





For many years, Lee said, OxyContin accounted for about 80 percent of drug abuse in Tazewell County. "That is all hard-core users wanted," he said.





But there is some good news, however, he said. OxyContin use has declined. He attributes the decline to increased knowledge about the dangers of the drug. He also believes the medical community in Tazewell County has been very responsible. "There has been a crackdown on over prescribing," he noted.





However, the decline of OxyContin use has meant addicts are seeking other drugs. Other drugs are still on the streets and being sold daily. "Cocaine has made a big come-back," Lee said.





And officers still see narcotics like Loratab, Vicoden and hydrocodone, said Lee, and these drugs are easy to obtain.





There has also been a rise in methadone use, and Tazewell County has seen a large increase in methadone overdose deaths. "We are also beginning to see heroin and methamphetamine labs, particularly in surrounding counties," he added.





Lee said that about five years ago, most of the drugs in Tazewell County came from local sources. Many of the drugs came from doctor shopping and forged prescriptions.





But today, he said, police officers are telling him drugs are being brought into the county. "The majority of the drugs in the county today are coming from North Carolina and Georgia," Lee said. "They are coming from doctors or pain clinics from out of the area."





Ron Elkins, chief deputy commonwealth attorney for Wise County, also said most of the drugs in his county are coming from other areas. "We get a lot spill over from Eastern Kentucky and Northeast Tennessee," he noted





He said the recent drug trends in Wise County have been different types of cases than those a decade ago and have even affected the county economy. "It is disheartening because most of our crimes are related to drug seeking behavior," Elkins said.





He told the story of a family man who was injured in an accident and was prescribed OxyContin for pain by his physician. The man had a family and while he received disability benefits and some state assistance, it was difficult to cover all family expenses, said Elkins.





For his OxyContin prescription, the man paid a $35 insurance co-payment. The prescription was written for 80 milligram doses of OxyContin. He discovered he could sell the drug for $100 each on the street. "He used this illegal activity to supplement his income from disability and state assistance," Elkins said.





Wise County has also seen an increase in prescription drug overdoses. When a drug abuser is incarcerated for a lengthy period of time, Elkins noted, they go through withdrawal from the drug. When they are released, they believe they can use the same amount of drugs they were accustomed to. This behavior sometimes leads to overdoses and deaths, Elkins said.





And, just as in Tazewell County, the increased use of prescription drugs has caused a dramatic increase in DUID charges in Wise County.





Elkins said one young woman arrested recently had 12 different prescription drugs in her system. "Because the drugs were prescription, she could not understand why she shouldn't take the drugs and drive," he noted.