American Addict

YOU KNOW. THERE ARE DRUGS IN

THIS COUNTRY THAT ARE CLASSIFIED

AS LEGAL AND OTHER DRUGS THA ARE CLASSIFIED AS ILLEGAL.

AND FOR SOME PEOPLE. ALL I NEEDS TO BE LABELED IS LEGAL.

AND IF YOU HAVE A DOCTOR IN

PLACE. A DOCTOR'S AN AUTHORITY

FIGURE WHO HAS THE. YOU KNOW,

ABILITY TO PRESCRIBE DRUGS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL LIKE.

"WELL. IF A DOCTOR PRESCRIBED

IT. IT'S FINE."

BUT IF WE LOOK AT SOMEONE

LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON--WHO IS

PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON

ON THE PLANET AT THE TIME THA HE DIED--HE WAS GETTING DRUGS

SUCH AS PROPOFOL OR DIPRIVAN.

THIS IS A MEDICATION THAT IS

USED IN AN OPERATING ROOM.

SHOULD NEVER BE USED OUTSIDE OF

AN OPERATING ROOM.

BUT HE WAS TAKING PAIN PILLS.

HE WAS TAKING PILLS FOR ANXIETY.

PILLS FOR SLEEP.

AND IT'S SORT OF AN

INTERESTING QUESTION WHY--

YOU KNOW. ARE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

LESS DANGEROUS THAN ALCOHOL

AND CIGARETTES?

SOMETIMES. BUT SOMETIMES NOT.

WE'VE TURNED THE CORNER ON

DRUG ADDICTION IN THE

UNITED STATES.

ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS STARS

IN HOLLYWOOD HISTORY IS DEAD

AT 36.

MARILYN MONROE WAS FOUND DEAD IN

BED UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES THA WERE IN TRAGIC CONTRAST TO HER

GLAMOROUS CAREER AS A COMIC

TALENT.

I'M GONNA GET I 'CAUSE I'M A FIEND

SELL THE DEVIL MY SOUL

TO GET ME WHAT I NEED

GET ME A FIX:

GET ME BACK INTO THE ZONE

I SAID. "WE NEED AN AMBULANCE

AT GRACELAND.

YOU SHOULD GET SOMEBODY

REAL QUICK."

RIGOR MORTIS HAD SET IN. AND SO

I TURNED HIM OVER REAL QUICK.

I PULLED UP HIS PAJAMA BOTTOMS.

AND HE WALKED IN. HE SAID,

"ELVIS IS GONE."

TRIPLED UP ON EVERYTHING

I'M NOT BREATHING RIGH IT'S GOT A HOLD ON ME

AND IT MIGHT SEIZE MY LIFE

FLOWERS. CANDLES, NOTES.

THESE ARE ITEMS FOUND LEF OUTSIDE OF THE MANHATTAN

APARTMENT WHERE THE BODY OF

OSCAR NOMINATED ACTOR

HEATH LEDGER WAS FOUND.

POLICE SAY PRESCRIPTION PILLS

WERE FOUND NEARBY.

AN AUTOPSY PERFORMED WEDNESDAY

WAS INCONCLUSIVE.

WELL. WE HAVE A--

A GENTLEMAN HERE THAT NEEDS

HELP. AND HE'S NOT BREATHING.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE HAD

BEEN A PROBLEM FOR JACKSON FOR

YEARS.

JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY

BRIAN OXMAN TELLS US WEEKLY.

"I WARNED THEM.

THERE IS THE MISUSE OF

PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS BY

PEOPLE WHO WERE ENABLING HIM."

IT ALL REALLY STARTED IN 1972

WHEN RICHARD NIXON COINED THE

PHRASE "THE WAR ON DRUGS."

BUT IT'S PRETTY CLEAR AT THIS

POINT THAT WE HAVE LOST THA WAR. AND THAT WAR WAS REALLY

DEALING WITH ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE.

YOU GOT TO PUSH:

IN MY HAND:

THAT WON'T LET UP

HIGH STAKES:

I'M GONNA GET I 'CAUSE I'M A FIEND

SELL THE DEVIL MY SOUL

TO GET ME WHAT I NEED

GET ME A FIX:

GET ME BACK INTO THE ZONE

JUST ONE MORE TRIP

UNTIL MY MIND GETS BLOWN

LEAVE ME ALONE:

PRESCRIPTIONS FOR

THE SH*T I'M ON

GOT ME LOOKING:

LIKE THE LIGHT'S ON

BUT NO ONE'S HOME

CHECK MY HEARTBEA RACING AT THE SPEED OF LIGH PERCOCET OR VICODIN

WILL SET YOU FREE TONIGH [ applause ]

THANK YOU.

WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY.

FOR AMERICAN SENIORS. A STRONG

AND MODERN MEDICARE STARTS

TODAY.

IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK TO GET US

HERE. AND IT TOOK THE LEADERSHIP

OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH.

[ applause ]

LAW ENFORCEMENT NOW.

AFTER 9/11. IS LOCKING DOWN THE

BORDERS AND FOCUSING ON

TERRORISM.

BUT WHEN YOU LOCK DOWN THE

BORDERS. WHAT'S NOT GETTING IN?

ALL OF THE ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES

THAT WERE COMING IN FROM OUT OF

STATE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED.

SO LOOK AT THE STATISTICS.

AFTER 9/11. IT LOOKED LIKE WE

WERE WINNING THE WAR ON DRUGS.

BUT THE PROBLEM IS. NO ONE

ADDRESSED THE DRUG SEEKING

BEHAVIOR.

THE SUPPLY WAS REDUCED OF YOUR

STREET LEVEL DRUG. BUT THE

DEMAND WAS STILL THERE FOR THE

MISUSE OF DRUGS.

WHITNEY HOUSTON WAS

PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE BEVERLY

HILTON HOTEL.

GREG GIRALDO. WHO DIED FROM

AN ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE.

THE ACTRESS BRITTANY MURPHY.

SHE DIED VERY SUDDENLY.

LESLIE CARTER HAS DIED.

AND I WAS ADDICTED TO

OXYCONTIN AND OPANAS.

40 MILLIGRAMS.

TWO TIMES A DAY ALONG WITH

DILAUDID. 4 MILLIGRAMS SIX TIMES

A DAY.

I WAS TAKING NORCO.

I WAS TAKING ABOUT EIGHT A DAY.

CO. ANYWHERE FROM TWO TO--

EVERY TWO TO THREE HOURS.

ABOUT SIX TIMES A DAY.

NORCO. EIGHT A DAY.

AND PRETTY MUCH EVERY OTHER

OPIOID OR DANGEROUS NARCOTIC

THAT'S OUT THERE.

HE SAID HE HAD HURT HIS BACK

AND THAT HE WAS TAKING I BECAUSE HIS BACK WAS HURTING.

OXYCONTIN AND ROXICODONE

AND SOMAS.

ALL PRESCRIBED AT ONE TIME.

AND THIS DOCTOR WAS PRESCRIBING

HIM MEDICATION FOR AN ILLNESS HE

DIDN'T HAVE.

HE KIND OF LOST HIS--HIS DRIVE.

YOU WANT TO SAY.

AND I WENT TO WORK. AND ABOU PROBABLY. LIKE, 10:00--I DON' EVEN--THE DAY IS--THE DAY IS

JUST A MESS FOR ME.

I GET A CALL. AND IT'S MY MOM.

SHE SAYS. "SOMETHING'S WRONG

WITH JOSEPH.

I WENT TO WAKE HIM UP.

AND THERE'S THIS STUFF COMING

OUT OF HIS MOUTH."

AND I YELLED AT MY MOM.

I'M LIKE. "WHY ARE YOU CALLING

ME?

WHY AREN'T YOU CALLING THE--

YOU KNOW. THE PARAMEDICS OR

SOMETHING?"

AND I RAN OUT OF WORK.

I LEFT WORK. AND I PRAYED ALL

THE WAY HOME. TRIED TO BARGAIN

WITH GOD.

NO BARGAINING WITH GOD.

I GOT HERE.

NO PARAMEDICS.

ONLY POLICE.

AND SO HE WAS GONE.

AND FROM WHAT THE CORONER SAYS.

HIS--HE ONLY TOOK ONE PILL.

HE TOOK ONE PILL.

AND HIS BODY COULDN' HANDLE IT ANYMORE.

AND HE WENT TO SLEEP.

AND HE DIDN'T WAKE UP.

AND I GUESS THEY FOUND OUT THAT.

WELL. MAYBE IT WASN'T JUS MY SON.

MAYBE THERE'S OTHERS.

SO THEY STARTED DOING THEIR OWN

UNDERCOVER WORK.

THEY WENT IN THERE UNDERCOVER

AND HOW EASY IT IS TO WALK INTO

A DOCTOR'S OFFICE AND SAY YOUR

BACK HURTS. "MY NECK HURTS,

MY LEG HURTS."

AND GET A PRESCRIPTION FOR

A DRUG THAT IS REALLY FOR PEOPLE

WITH. LIKE, CANCER OR SOMETHING

THAT'S VERY--YOU KNOW. A VERY

SEVERE ILLNESS.

OKAY. MY NAME IS SERGEAN STEVE OPFERMAN FROM THE LOS

ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S

DEPARTMENT.

I'M ASSIGNED TO OUR DETECTIVE

DIVISION. MAJOR CRIMES BUREAU.

I SUPERVISE A MULTI-AGENCY TASK

FORCE CALLED HALT. WHICH IS THE

HEALTH AUTHORITY LAW ENFORCEMEN TASK FORCE.

WE HANDLE OVER 100 CASES A YEAR.

WE CONFISCATE AND DESTROY

PROBABLY $3 MILLION TO

$5 MILLION WORTH OF CONFISCATED

DRUGS ANNUALLY.

WE'VE ESTIMATED WE'VE PROBABLY

SAVED THE GOVERNMENT BY

STOPPING. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF

THESE ILLEGAL BUSINESSES ABOU $50 MILLION IN MEDICARE

AND MEDI-CAL CLAIMS.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF

MEDICATIONS THAT WE SEIZE FROM

WHAT WE CALL A CAPPER.

THIS IS A RECRUITER THAT WOULD

GO AROUND SKID ROW. AND, YOU

KNOW. FIND PEOPLE WITH MEDICARE

CARDS.

WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE

NON-CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.

WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOU MEDICINES THEMSELVES.

THERE'S A DIFFERENT BLACK

MARKET.

BUT THE DRUGS ARE INITIALLY

ACQUIRED BY THE SAME MEANS.

THE MAIN FOCUS BY GOVERNMEN IS USUALLY ON SUPPLY.

IF WE REDUCE THE SUPPLY.

THAT REDUCES THE PROBLEM.

WELL. NOT TRUE.

IF YOU HAVE DRUG SEEKING

BEHAVIOR AND YOU REDUCE THE

SUPPLY. IT'S LIKE SQUEEZING THE

END OF A BALLOON.

IT JUST BLOWS UP SOMEWHERE ELSE.

AND YOU SEE THIS TREMENDOUSLY

WITH DRUGS. WHETHER IT'S ILLEGAL

DRUGS AND LEGAL DRUGS.

THE MODEL OF SORT OF OPTIMIZING

CONTROL AND PROFITS ON DRUGS IS.

TO ME. VERY MUCH ONE MODEL,

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