Drug Czar To Tackle Prescription Medicine Abuse
Drug Agencies Announce $12 Billion Initiative
POSTED: Monday, March 1, 2004
The Bush administration is taking steps to curb the tide of prescription drug abuse.
John Walters, the man in charge of the National Drug Control Policy, said prescription drug abuse has exploded in the United States. And the drug czar said it's a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Walters said that in 2002, more than 6 million Americans abused prescription drugs, compared with just more than 1.5 million two years earlier.A recent report found that prescription medicine now ranks second, behind marijuana, among drugs most abused by adults and young people, according to the agency. Walters announced Monday a $12 billion federal strategy that focuses on reducing demand through prevention, intervention and treatment, and controlling the supply of illegal drugs entering the United States. The initiative includes tracking a patient's use of prescription medicine and using monitoring programs to detect a pattern of abuse, such as "doctor shopping," where a patient gets prescriptions for drugs from more than one doctor. The Drug Enforcement Administration also plans to aggressively pursue pharmacies selling controlled substances illegally over the Internet."Criminals who divert legal drugs into the illegal market are no different from a cocaine or heroin dealer peddling poisons on the street corner," said Karen Tandy, DEA administrator. Additional Resources:
John Walters, the man in charge of the National Drug Control Policy, said prescription drug abuse has exploded in the United States. And the drug czar said it's a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Walters said that in 2002, more than 6 million Americans abused prescription drugs, compared with just more than 1.5 million two years earlier.A recent report found that prescription medicine now ranks second, behind marijuana, among drugs most abused by adults and young people, according to the agency. Walters announced Monday a $12 billion federal strategy that focuses on reducing demand through prevention, intervention and treatment, and controlling the supply of illegal drugs entering the United States. The initiative includes tracking a patient's use of prescription medicine and using monitoring programs to detect a pattern of abuse, such as "doctor shopping," where a patient gets prescriptions for drugs from more than one doctor. The Drug Enforcement Administration also plans to aggressively pursue pharmacies selling controlled substances illegally over the Internet."Criminals who divert legal drugs into the illegal market are no different from a cocaine or heroin dealer peddling poisons on the street corner," said Karen Tandy, DEA administrator. Additional Resources:Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Police say text messages between teenage students led to a beating that left a 15-year-old girl in intensive care and led to an attempted murder charge for a 15-year-old boy.
The mother of a teenage girl nearly beaten to death outside a South Florida school speaks to Local 10 about the girl's condition and releases photos depicting the brutal beating.
A South Florida mother was arrested for allegedly beating her young daughter.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said two pilots died when their small planes collided over central Florida.
While totally insincere apologies have sprung from the mouths of celebrities for decades, recent celeb apologies have managed to elevate the practice to an art form.
The lawyer for the family of a teenage girl nearly beaten to death outside a South Florida school says the next 24 hours will be critical in determining her recovery. 
A 13-year-old girl makes her first appearance in court, accused of being an accomplice to attempted murder in the case of a teenage girl who was beaten, allegedly by a 15-year-old boy.
A girl who was attacked at a bus stop outside Deerfield Beach Middle School Wednesday remains in an intensive care unit.
Raw video of a high-speed motorcycle chase in 2009 that ended in a crash.
Surveillance cameras roll as two men rob a Brinks armored truck outside a Walgreens store.
View examples of the artwork of Josie Lou Ratley, a 15-year-old girl severely beaten at a bus stop outside Deerfield Beach Middle School.
The creator of the wildly popular "Body Worlds" returns with a anatomical look into the animal world with "Body Worlds of the Animals."
The new season of Dancing With The Stars premieres Monday night at 8 p.m. on ABC and Local 10 has your backstage pass to all the action!
Whitney Houston raised some eyebrows in Australia recently as she reportedly flubbed her way through a concert performance. Is the singer's rise back to prominence going to be short-lived?
Need some luggage, jewelry or electronics? Check out the MIA Lost and Found Public Auction this weekend.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
