Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) - Pharmaceutical drug abuse is on the rise in Hawaii, and depression caused by massive layoffs and state’s sagging economy since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks may be to blame, according to state narcotics officials.
Narcotics Enforcement Division director Keith Kamita said painkillers such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Valium are the prescribed drugs being abused the most.
Police psychologist Gloria Neumann said drugs are a way for people “to block out what happened.”
“People often look for a quick fix,” she said. “Drugs are often a quick solution, but it doesn’t solve the underlying problem.”
M.P. Andy Anderson, of the Hina Mauka substance abuse clinic, said OxyContin is “becoming more and more prevalent.”
The surge in prescribed drug abuse is causing concern for Kamita because he said pharmaceuticals are stronger than illicit drugs.
Kamita said an electronic monitoring system was set up statewide to alert state drug enforcement agents of an irregular number of controlled substances issued to a person.
“For us, that’s our first line of defense,” he said.