Local News
(2008-07-31)
UNDATED
(wnmu) -
A two-year investigation into the illegal diversion of prescription drugs in the Upper Peninsula has resulted in 57 arrests--one of them of Menominee doctor. Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney's Office held a press conference Wednesday in Marquette to release details of the effort. They say the unlawful use of prescription drugs has become the biggest drug abuse problem across all sectors of the population.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maarten Vermaat says the ready accessibility of prescriptions in the home is to blame. He notes people have a level of comfort with the drugs, which are prescribed by a pharmacist and not purchased off the street.
Vermaat says the only way to stop the diversion of prescription drugs is through the threat of prosecution and public education.
The coordinated investigation involved federal authorities, county prosecutor's offices, and a number of U.P. law enforcement agencies. It's believed to be the largest clean-up effort of its kind in state history.
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