Oxycontin has a very high street value. When sold has heroin, prescription holders can sell each pill for up to $50 (FDA). The illegal distribution is more common in southern Maine and the street value is cheaper. The drug is snorted or injected, causing all of the drugs potency to be released in one rush or high. Using these methods to abuse the drug cause it to be very addicting. Some users have claimed that the high is very close to the high experienced from heroin.

Some ways to obtain the drug illegally include altering or copying prescriptions, altering other prescriptions, cleaning prescription pads and creating new prescriptions. You can also go to more than one physician to obtain multiple prescriptions, and shop at varied pharmacists to avoid suspicion. Solutions currently in place include prescriptions pads which cannot be copied, faxing a copy of the prescription to th

e patient's pharmacy, and writing the text of the number in addition to the number.

The Board is not willing to require specific training for a physician's license. The first step will ensure some pain and symptom management knowledge for new practicing physicians and the second step brings pain to the attention of the currently licensed medical community. All of these changes must be passed into law by the legislature.

The Purdue Pharma doctors spoke about problems and solutions. One problem in prescribing Schedule II narcotics is if a patient runs out of medication on a weekend and the prescribing physician is not available to write a new prescription. Should the pharmacist provide a couple of days supply to get them through? The recommended solution is for a doctor to use a calendar to ensure that the prescription will not run out when they are not available to write a new prescription. Doctors should also watch for patient patterns. If the doctor is following a calendar and the patient still runs out on the weekend, a discussion is needed to determine if the medication is being used properly (O'Connor).

option would have the effect or denying the drug to the majority of patients because of the limited number of pain specialists in the U.S.

In March, Purdue announced a 10-point plan to combat Oxycontin abuse.

Ed David, MD, of the Board of Licensure spoke from the Board's viewpoint. "Doctors who follow the rules for prescribing C2 narcotics will not be prosecuted for abuses by their patients. It's important for the doctor to know their patient, examine the patient, an

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