Hey, this is the paper I wrote...you probably wont want to read it all but if you get a chance to, let me know what you think. I'm very interested in pharmacy but I may have missed some key points because I'm not actually in the feild, you guys are. And in the paper I quoted some of you and some resources given by you (thanks! 🙂 ) but if for any reason you find something wrong like I didnt give you all the credit you deserve or you dont want to be quoted, let me know and I'll gladly fix it right away because you guys helped me out so much and I dont wanna take credit for any of your guy's work! thanks!
Drugs are abused by thousands of people throughout the world today. Children and adults of all ages use the illegal substances that are harmful to their health. But who comes in the closest contact with most of these drugs? Pharmacists do. A problem society is facing today is the number of pharmacists who use and abuse over-the-counter and prescription drugs. The statistics are jaw-dropping and should make the world realize that something needs to be done in either opening up more abuse clinics or mandating the law on how to go about firing a guilty pharmacy employee.
In an article entitled "Use and abuse of controlled substances by pharmacists and pharmacy students", it tells of a study that was done in November of 1984, in a New England State. Surveys were sent out to pharmacy students and professionals, in hopes of accurate responses. Statistics were found surprising and proved the need for further development and research into pharmacy rehab and drug abuse clinics. Of the 510 pharmacists and 470 students surveyed, 76% of the professionals and 67% of the students responded. Almost half of the pharmacists and three-fourths of the students admitted to using prescription drugs, without a prescription. A majority of the students used them for recreation (57%), while the pharmacists used them more for self-treatment (29%), recreation (29%) and instrumental (21%). Of all the drugs taken, the most common were marijuana, stimulants (cocaine especially), tranquilizers and opiates. When looking through the results, they also noticed that of all the abusers in the study, 18% of the pharmacists and 35% of the students either became dependent or at risk of drug abuse. The scientists associated the drug abuse with various aspects including age, non-attending of religious services, student access, year in school and citizenship (Gingras). Since then, many studies have been done but this one was taken from a study done in July of 2001. It was taken from Drug Topics, a "Study by a Georgia State University researcher named Dean Dabney, Ph.D." The statistics show: 95% of all pharmacists have diverted prescription drugs for their own use; 65% of these pharmacists stole the medicine from their place of work; 40% of these pharmacists have engaged in the illicit use of potentially addictive mind altering drugs (PAPD's potentially addictive pharmaceutical drugs); 20% of pharmacists surveyed reported 5 or more episodes with PAPD's; 6% of pharmacists surveyed reported more than 10 episodes; 6% of pharmacists surveyed identified themselves as drug abusers; 7.5% of those who identified themselves as users had forged prescriptions; 24% of these pharmacists started with PAPD's when they were in college; 64% were out in the work force when they started self-medicating; 42% of pharmacists surveyed had witnessed illicit use of PAPD's; 65% had worked with a pharmacist who condoned self-medication; and 30% personally approved self medication. Posted on Studentdoctor.net just recently, a member by the user name of "Caverject" said the statistic was 1 in 7 pharmacy students will eventually become an addict. This surprised the other members and a specific response from a junior member "UKPharmGirl" was, "Seriously? Those figures are scary!" This isn't a problem that is brought up very much in society, but by the looks of these figures, something needs to be done about it.
Along with the statistics, major risks are taken to steal drugs and many pharmacists are caught. It is highly illegal and not tolerated in the workplace. But how do the employers enforce their rules? It is not mandated that the employer report the employee to the state board, they may strictly just fire them to avoid the hassle and lawsuits. Instead of getting them help or discipline, they just pass them on to the next chain. Like if a pharmacist is fired at a Walgreen's Pharmacy, he can just easily pack up his things and go work at a Target Pharmacy, just as an example. An example was in a post on Studentdoctor.net by the user "bananaface" and stated, "One of the techs at my store was discovered to have been adding refills to her narcotics on her own. She ended up getting fired for stealing merchandise from the main store. I'm not sure if the self-prescribing was discovered before or after the firing, but no legal action was taken and she was not reported to the state board." With reporting not mandatory, the perpetrators get away with a lot and basically get away scratch free, with only the inconvenience of having to find another job. But with the shortages and demands for pharmacists in this country, they shouldn't have a problem.
Scientists need to look into not only the statistics of the pharmacy drug abuse problem, but also the solutions and outcomes for the long run. If they make reporting to the state board mandatory, more paperwork may come out of it but if nothing happens, the person never gets the help they need and the problem just circulates. The only things that can solve the drug problem are to further the research and help for the abusers, and time.
