Prescription-drug abuse a growing pain for law enforcement - The Denver Post
Prescription-drug abuse a growing pain for law enforcement - The Denver Post The number of people who abuse painkillers in Colorado is on the rise and the problem is manifesting itself in a string of recent pharmacy robberies, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. "The Hooded Pain-Med Bandit," a young dark-haired man with a gun tucked in his waistband, has hit three Walgreens pharmacies in Wheat Ridge and Arvada since December, police say. The latest occurred Feb. 12 in Arvada when he lifted his shirt, flashed the gun and ordered the pharmacist to hand over painkillers. In Wheat Ridge, he specifically demanded Oxycontin and Vicodin. "Obviously, this is concerning because an addict, or someone desperate, who is trying to steal narcotics is also armed," said Arvada police Cmdr. Aaron Jacks. The numbers of people who died from prescription-drug abuse rose 95 percent in Colorado in almost a decade, according to the DEA. In 2000, there were 228 deaths in the state linked to prescription drugs. By 2009, 445 people died from abusing painkillers in Colorado. In Denver, 70 percent of the drug-related deaths are attributable to painkillers, said Kevin Merrill, acting special agent in charge of the DEA's Denver division.
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