New Pure Form of Oxycodone Concerns Addiction Experts

Many drug companies are currently completing trials through the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to produce a stronger version of Oxycodone that will be more potent and provide 10 times the pain relief as the current prescription. There are currently over 400 opiate painkillers that already blend the narcotic with various other medications but this new drug will be composed solely of Oxycodone alone.

According to the Sun Sentinel, illegal prescription drug use is an epidemic in our country and about seven million people in America abuse these drugs on a regular basis. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) claims Oxycodone is the most illegally taken prescription medication in the U.S., and most alarming among adolescents. One out of 20 seniors in high school claim to have abused it in 2010. In the beginning of last year, Florida alone saw seven abusers die each day from overdoses and 85 percent of the drug is distributed there.

Oxycodone addiction has become so severe in Florida that state and Federal officials are forced to address the issue and are creating tougher laws to regulate sales and to ban pain clinics from advertising Oxycodone. Several states have begun to monitor prescription drug programs that allow regulatory boards to identify those doctors who have over prescribed pain medications and the patients who receive them from several different doctors. Florida was not a state who participated in these programs.

It is important to note that while the U.S. has outlawed the use of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other illegal substances they are moving forward with the development of a stronger form of Oxycodone. This may prove to be more costly and destructive than the previously combined outlawed illegal drugs mentioned.