According to the government’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, prescription drug abuse is now the fast-growing drug problem in the country. With these statistics, come the news that prescription drug theft is also on the rise. As parents, we’ve been told to watch our medicine cabinets as young adults are turning to stealing drugs like Oxycodone and Ritalin right out of our own homes. Across the nation, states have begun to take action to combat prescription drug theft from nursing homes. It is not only the addicts we have to aware of, but caregivers and individuals looking to prosper from the resale of these medications. These meds are highly sought after and can bring in additional income for many low-paid nursing home aides.
States like Ohio, Minnesota and Maine are intensifying their efforts to prevent this type of theft by assigning government staff to focus on complaints coming from elder care facilities. Not only do these patients have to repurchase the medicine, they are also being deprived of the medication they need to help rehabilitation. Individual senior care facilities have taken new security measures, such as searching the employees, installing cameras and posting more security guards.
The state of Maine has seen a 5.4% increase in their overall crime rate between 2010 and 2011. Public Safety Commissioner John E. Morris contends “that prescription drug addicts, who are unfortunately sick with this addiction, are also the primary cause of the increase of burglaries throughout the state”. Bangor’s Police Chief says that in some cases robberies occur as people attempt to steal the drugs, or in other cases money is stolen to obtain drugs.
State leaders are concerned that things are not headed in the right direction, and are actively looking for solutions. In many cases, online theft classes are mandated by the courts once the addict/criminal has been apprehended. These courses help for rehabilitation purposes as they educate criminals to think about and understand the results of their actions. Online theft classes are designed to be interesting for all ages and are easy to take at your computer in your own home. They are an affordable, convenient and effective way to meet legal requirements and alter your behavior along the way.
