Drug abuse rises as economy falls

BONNER SPRINGS, Kan., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Prescription-drug abuse is rising in parts of the United States as the economy falls, drug-rehabilitation and law-enforcement officials said.

"We're seeing an extreme uptick in the abuse of pharmacological drugs," said Jeff Benz, a founder of Mainstream Kansas City Inc., an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center in Bonner Springs, Kan.

"We have noticed it for several years, but it really became more pronounced in the last few months," he said.

The use of addictive pain relievers and mood enhancers is increasing nationwide at an "alarming rate," the Drug Enforcement Administration told Congress.

More than 7 million people in the United States abuse prescription drugs, up 80 percent since 2002, the DEA said.

Figures for Missouri and Kansas suggest abuse may be especially pronounced in those states, the Kansas City (Mo.) Star reported.

Federal figures show shipments into Kansas of hydrocodone, the active ingredient in the narcotic painkiller Vicodin, jumped more than 300 percent since 2000, much of the increase in the past year, the Star said.

Oxycodone, another commonly abused synthetic drug that has a morphine-like action in the body, is up more than 260 percent.

"Without a doubt, there is an increase in use of scheduled drugs in Kansas," Jeff Brandau, a special agent at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, told the Star.

Either Kansans are in a lot of pain "or something else is going on," he said.