Internet brings drug dealing into the home: Placing orders online becomes an easy way to get controlled substances

(Times Union (Albany, NY) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 4--ALBANY -- Ryan Haight was just 17 when he began suffering from back and joint pain.

He was an honors student, a gifted athlete and, like many teenagers, he knew how to navigate the Internet. When his pain worsened, Haight used his computer to find an Oklahoma pharmacy from which he ordered painkillers and anti-depressants.

A medical doctor he never met provided a prescription for the drugs, and the pharmacy mailed them out.

On Feb. 21, 2001, Haight, a resident of La Mesa, Calif., died at the age of 18 after mixing morphine and two prescription anti-depressants with Hydrocodone, a highly addictive painkiller.

Construction Progress

There is a saying that the show isn't over until the large lady sings. Well, she isn't singing yet but she is warming up. Here is the current status of the remodeling of our facility:

The framing and interior walls are completed;

· The doors are hung;

· The exterior and interior of the facility are painted;

· The new sidewalks are done;

· All of the light fixtures are in place;

· The bathroom and kitchen floors are tiled;

· The electrical wiring and panel upgrades are ready for their final inspection;

· The heating and air conditioning upgrades are installed and ready for their final inspection.

Here is what the contractor plans to do in the next few days:

· Install the bathroom fixtures;

· Complete installation of the fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems;

· Install the kitchen appliances;

· Install the flooring in the remainder of our facility;

· Obtain the plumbing inspection;

· Complete installation of the generator system;

· Obtain the fire department inspection.

Assuming we can obtain the Pasco County inspections on a timely basis, our contractor has informed us that he believes we will have our final County inspection of the facility by Monday of next week. Once that inspection is complete, then we will have complied with all of the building requirements of Pasco County.

However, before we can actually open we need one more inspection. In Florida, detox facilities are licensed by the Department of Children and Families ("DCF"). Our consultant is working to schedule the DCF's inspection for the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. Once we have passed the DCF inspection, they will allow us to open.

In next week's newsletter we hope to tell you that we have received our final Pasco County inspection and have scheduled a time for the DCF inspection and this will allow us to give an accurate prediction of our opening date.

Warnings Will Remain Hard To Find

FDA drops plan for prescription drug watch list

By Lisa Richwine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health officials said on Friday they had dropped plans to keep a public list of prescription drugs with emerging safety concerns, one of the measures proposed after Merck & Co.'s 2004 withdrawal of its arthritis drug Vioxx.

Instead of a "Drug Watch" list, the FDA will place red asterisks next to the names of the medicines on an existing Web page that lists dozens of prescription drugs. Consumers can click on the drug name to link to FDA advisories and other information.

"I feel strongly that such an approach meets our goal" of providing useful information to doctors and patients, Dr. Paul Seligman, associate director for safety policy and communication in the FDA's drug center, told reporters.

The FDA made the change because there was concern about potential confusion between "Drug Watch" and "MedWatch," an FDA program that provides alerts about new information on medical products, Seligman said.

Details on various drugs can be found at http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/DrugSafety/DrugIndex.htm.