Prescription Drug Fraud Becoming a Problem

Jan. 31 -- Young people seem to have grown wary of so-called street drugs, due to concerns over impurities, counterfeiting, etc.

Increasingly, they are discovering that prescription drugs such as Xanax, Percocet, Vicodin, Lortab, OxyContin, etc. have "recreational" uses, as well as medical uses.

More specifically, the drug Xanax is a household word among college students into the party scene. The 2-mg tablets are elongated and scored and are hence referred to on the street as Z-Bars. They are also called Zandy bars, footballs, Zannies, etc.

Combined with alcohol, they have become quite popular. Particulary scary is the fact that women often will take these intentionally, so that the quantity of alcohol (especially beer) that they have to ingest to get to a level of intoxication is reduced. It is scary because it is quite possible that this combination can lead to the person becoming so intoxicated that they become victims of sexual assault.

Keep in mind that Xanax (or alprazolam as its generic name) is a first cousin to the infamous date-rape drug Rohypnol (aka, roofies). They are both in the chemical category of drugs known as benzodiazepines. Since the supply of Rohypnol seems to have been drying up, users have turned to Xanax and other drugs in this category to take their place.

You may be aware that this category of drugs can produce anterograde amnesia and those who do get sexually assaulted often have vague recall of the events that occurred or no recall at all. Thus, those who get it slipped into a drink are at the mercy of the perpetrator, or those that take it intentionally do so at a great cost.

Access to Prescription Drugs

As far as getting these drugs from doctors, it's actually disgustingly easy to do. All that a clean-cut college student needs to do is tell his/her doctor that they are having some test anxiety and that they need something to calm them down. Also, there is a tendency to share these pills around, either at the frat house, the dorm, or wherever else people gather. I had one student confide in me that he got it from a friend who "ripped it off" from a pharmacy in his role as a pharmacy technician at a local chain drug store.