1. WARREN COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE
RX DRUG ABUSE PROBLEM FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE

2. WARREN COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE
DETECTIVE DENNIS M. LUKEN
P.O. Box 898
Lebanon, OH
Phone
Fax
Cell
Website:

3. PHARMACEUTICAL DIVERSION EXPERIENCE
Detective with the Warren County Drug Task Force since 2001
Treasurer for the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI)
25½ years Cincinnati Police Division
Investigator with Pharmaceutical Diversion Squad – 4½ years
Over 13 years experience conducting pharmaceutical drug diversion and healthcare fraud investigations

4. WARREN COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE
Actually formed in early 1990’s
Four years ago became the Southwest Ohio HIDTA initiative called SWORD
Currently there are 17 members assigned to the task force including a pharmaceutical diversion investigator and drug interdiction deputy with his canine “Kilo”

5. WARREN COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE
WCSO, DEA, ATF, FBI, Ohio BCI & I, Lebanon Police Department, Wilmington Police Department, Ohio National Guard (intelligence analyst)
Investigate mid to upper level drug traffickers that ultimately lead us to the Southwest border states in an attempt to reach the ultimate supplier of drugs that come into the United States from Mexico

6. WARREN COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE
Educate the community about the illicit drug problem as well as the epidemic prescription drug problem
Educate health professionals how deter prescription drug abuse
Propose and actively secure the passage of legislation to fund and combat the drug problem in Ohio

7. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
Rx drug abuse comprises over 50% of the overall drug problem in America
Ranks close second to marijuana
Rx drugs have surpassed marijuana as drug of choice for new users

8. Even Barbie Chemically Copes

9. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM Most likely drug to be abused in the workplace
Obtain through insurance
“Only prescription drugs”

11. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM 2000 SAMHSA Survey:
3.9 million people abused Rx drugs in the last year
2.1 million people abused cocaine and heroin combined

12. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM 2003 SAMHSA Survey:
6.2 million people abused prescription drugs last year
1.4 million abusers were between the ages of 12-17

13. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
Prescription drugs now play a factor in one quarter of all overdose deaths reported in the United States
Since 1995, the number of Ritalin prescriptions have quadrupled
“Pharming”, “bowling”, and “trail mixing”

14. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
From 1999 to 2007, the death rate due to unintentional poisoning has increased more than 300% in Ohio
Nearly all (96%) of these deaths are due to drugs and medications, and are largely driven by prescription drug over doses Ohio Department of Health (ODH)

16. HEALTH CARE FRAUD According to “Prescription for Peril” (Mahon)
Opioid abusers cost healthcare insurers $15,884 per year per patient (2005)
Non-abusers cost insurers $1,830 per year
Over 8 times higher than non-abusers
$72.5 billion in fraud in the abuse of opioids

17. METHODS OF DIVERSION Doctor shopping/ER Shopping
Phony call-in prescriptions
Forged and fraudulent prescriptions
Diversion and theft from healthcare facilities (hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies)
Internet diversion

18. INTERNET DIVERSION
According to ONDCP – Identified 34 rogue internet pharmacies in 2006
Dispersed over 98 million dosages of hydrocodone
Would take 1,118 average pharmacies to equal amount dispensed by the 34 illegal internet apothecaries

19. TOP DOCTOR SHOPPER AWARD
Total of 355 prescriptions
Over 100 different doctors
Over 100 different pharmacies
Received 7,617 doses of tramadol
Received 8,496ml of hydrocodone based cough syrup
Received 2,799 doses of hydrocodone

20. PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAMS (PMP)
STATE OF OHIO
Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) is operated by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy
Contains all prescriptions for controlled substances and Ultram and Soma filled by pharmacies in the State of Ohio
Accessible by physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcemen

21. PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAMS (PMP)
STATE OF KENTUCKY
Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) established in 1999
eKASPER established in 2005
Accessible by physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement

22. PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAMS (PMP)
STATE OF INDIANA
INDIANA SCHEDULED PRESCRIPTION ELECTRONIC COLLECTION AND TRACKING (INSPECT)
Accessible by physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement officers

23. PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAMS (PMP)
STATE OF MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN AUTOMATED PRESCRIPTION SYSTEM (MAPS)
Accessible by physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement office
Website:
Telephone:

24. WHY GET INVOLVED?
Drug seekers keep physicians from treating legitimate patients
Lack of addressing the issue will only increase the problem
Perpetuates the patient’s addiction or trafficking by ignoring the problem
Increases the cost of healthcare

28. HOW TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM
Educate judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, society as a whole
Educate school administrators and parents
Educate physicians, nurses, and other individuals in the field of healthcare
Educate insurance providers

29. HOW TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM
Encourage coroners to develop databases to track causes of overdose deaths
Encourage coroners to develop databases to track the prescribing physicians associated with overdose deaths
Encourage prescribing physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement to utilize prescription monitoring programs

30. HOW TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM
Establish and promote “drug take back” or “drug turn in” programs
Educate society to remove unused prescriptions from medicine cabinets
Educate society not to store controlled substance prescriptions in medicine cabinets
Websites: and

31. HOW TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM
Propose and pass law requiring photo identification be DISPLAYED and RECORDED when picking up prescriptions for controlled substances
Required for pseudoephedrine purchases
Required for alcohol purchases
Required for tobacco purchases
Maybe required when making purchases with check or credit card
WHY NOT CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES!!!

32. Twenty state chapters
Comprised pf law enforcement, boards of licensure, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, healthcare insurance providers, etc.
Disseminate informatin on a daily basis via
Resources, articles, links, and other information archived in database

33. WARREN COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE
QUESTIONS AND
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THANK YOU!!!