Using Dentists as Dope Dealers

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Kenny Morrison soaked in life from his beachfront home. A top chef at a trendy L.A. restaurant, he served dinner to the Hollywood stars, including A-listers.

But within a couple years, he lost it all. He got hooked on pain medication after some dental work. His fix was codeine, Vicodin and OxyContin -- all prescription medications -- to help him get through the day. At one point, he even had a tooth removed unnecessarily so he could get a prescription for pain medicines.

"At the height, I was taking probably 20, 25 a day," he says. "It got to the point where I lost the wife, the house, and I was living in a bad part of L.A. in my truck. And I went from taking a couple of codeine all the way to taking OxyContin."

Morrison didn't buy his drugs on a street corner or get them from a dope dealer. He got them mostly from dentists he had never met. He says he'd scroll through the phone book calling dentist after dentist until one would prescribe him pain medication. "I kind of found out on my own that a dentist will prescribe you painkillers over the phone, instead of a doctor who you would most likely have to go in and see," he says.

Comment:

• This use of dentists to obtain prescription painkillers may be a new trend in the continuing upward spiral of prescription drug abuse.
  
• This phenomenon is getting a lot of media attention lately and may be a problem in your area.
  

Resources:

• "Using Dentists as Dope Dealers," CNN, 7/21/09.
• "Prescription Drug Abuse", MedLine Plus, 6/17/09.
• "Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention", Office of National Drug Control Policy.
  
• "Prescription Drugs Abuse and Addiction," NIDA.
• "Prescription for Disaster: The Growing Problem of Prescription Drug Abuse in Maryland. PDF. September 2005.