Prescription drugs are the second-most abused category of drugs after marijuana. Opiate overdoses, once almost always due to heroin use, are now increasingly due to abuse of prescription painkillers. The number of prescriptions filled for opioid pain relievers – some of the most powerful medications available – has increased dramatically in recent years. From 1997 to 2007, the milligram-per-person use of prescription opioids in the U.S. increased from 74 milligrams to 369 milligrams, an increase of 402%. In addition, in 2000, retail pharmacies dispensed 174 million prescriptions for opioids; by 2009, 257 million prescriptions were dispensed, an increase of 48%.

This course is designed for all Public Safety and Medical professionals, who contact subjects that use, divert or traffic in prescription drugs. This course is tailor made and combines law enforcement and medical expertise to explain the prescription drug epidemic covering the ENTIRE country. From party pills to economic diversion, you will learn to idenify indicators and STOP it!

Topics covered include:

• Identify physiological effects of Rx drugs
• Identify tools of the trade; from consumption to distribution
• Differentiate between addiction and physical dependence
• Learning the medical system to identify "Dirty Doctors"
• Identify how legitimate "patients" bend the medical system and profit
• Understand state PMP programs strengths and their weaknesses that are exploited
• Staying under the radar with script fraud
• Case studies!