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The OxyContin Express
"In this Peabody Award-winning edition of Vanguard, correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to South Florida--the 'Colombia of prescription drugs'--to expose a bustling pill pipeline that stretches from the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale to the rolling hills of Appalachia. The OxyContin Express features intimate access with pill addicts, prisoners and law enforcement as each struggles with a lethal national epidemic."
It's basically a short, 47 min or so, documentary about the problem of OxyContin addiction that stems mostly from (south) Florida.
I honestly didn't know that there was this much of a problem here in the state, but apparently Florida is #1 in the country at handing out prescriptions for OxyContin. They'll give it to anyone who's willing to pay. And addicts will doctor shop, basically go around to dozens of different doctors, to get multiple prescriptions (sometimes procuring thousands of pills). And for those who are blissfully unaware, OxyContin is basically heroin in pill form. It's one of the strongest pain killers, right up there with morphine, and also one of the most addictive.
I remember hearing that there was going to be a state-wide database implemented that would help prevent doctor shopping, as when you picked up a Rx it would put you into the database so that you couldn't just go around and get unlimited Rxs, but I think our very own Lex Luthor (Rick Scott) killed that idea since he stands to make money from recovering addicts and whatnot. Yay capitalism! Putting money first and people last.
Anyway, I thought it was an interesting little documentary. Just thought I'd share.
