A study that was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which was conducted by a Victoria, British Columbia University, looked at OxyContin drug addiction in seven different Canadian cities. OxyContin has become one of the more popular prescription opiates in Canada. “Physically one of the more destructive drugs, it’s the fear of the withdrawals that keeps many users abusing it,” said Nick Hayes, a representative of the Narconon drug rehab program. “When the drug is first prescribed or abused, many users are unaware of how addictive it is.”

Dr. Benedikt Fisher led this particular research study, and was able to discover that heroin was becoming less significant among illicit opiate users. He also indicated in this study that most street users began consuming when they got involved with the medical system. When the time-release formula was created and approved, it ended up changing the course of opiate abuse. Users discovered that by chewing and mixing it with alcohol, crushing the drug and snorting it, or even cooking it down and injecting it, they would experience an extremely intense high, which happens very rapidly and the effects are similar to that of heroin.

First started in 2001, the study followed close to 600 participants from seven different Canadian cities; Montreal, Quebec City, Fredericton, St. John, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto. It’s important to understand that this dilemma affects every province across Canada; even though, it has become very prominent in the Atlantic Provinces, with Newfoundland actually appointing a special task force to help tackle the problem. Perdue Pharma, which was the pharmaceutical company that marketed OxyContin, faced many different lawsuits. In fact, three executives did admit to misbranding the drug, claiming it was less addictive, and not subject to abuse. Eventually, Perdue Pharma had paid out over 600 million dollars in fines. For more information call, 1-877-782-7409, or visit the site, http://narconon.ca/

(Ref: Anne Borden “OxyContin More Popular than Heroin on Canada’s Streets: Lawsuits on the Rise” Lawyers and Settlements.com 13 August 2007: http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/01272/oxycontin-canada-streets.html)

Via EPR Network
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