We Have A Problem

Narcotics theft has always been an issue, little doubt about that. Just as smuggling proscribed narcotics by notorious drug cartels and independent drug pushers alike has forever afflicted society. There is a huge amount of illicit money to be made by the audacious who scheme to foil authorities.

From false compartments in vehicles to store the drugs and smuggle them across borders, to small submarines to smuggle narcotics by water across international boundaries, or passing through Customs using elderly or infirm 'mules' to deflect suspicion. Caught at airport inspections those who attempt to transport drugs claim they had no idea what they were carrying....

And then there is the old trick of people being issued prescription drugs, visiting a number of doctors to have their prescriptions doubled and tripled, so the excess can be sold on the black market. And armed robberies from pharmacies.

And now it seems that addictions experts and police are increasingly realizing that between the manufacturers, the pharmaceutical houses and the supply chains before the drugs get to the pharmacies, they're being pilfered in huge amounts.

Wholesalers and distributors are seeing their stores of prescription narcotics lost from the supply chain in huge numbers. Hundreds of thousands of doses of OxyContin, morphine and other narcotics turning up on the black market eager for opioid painkillers leading to an epidemic of prescription-narcotic addiction. And sometimes death, as well, increasingly making its mark on society.

Theft and robberies are one issue, but they're now appearing at the low end of the scale. Further up, representing far more diversions from legal sales are the drugs that go missing from importers and manufacturers with products to the value of millions appearing on the street.

"These are the most tightly regulated and controlled drugs - the manufacturers and providers have very tight responsibilities and obligations to guard them. that's quite disconcerting, that this stuff quite massively seems to be disappearing, and the rate of theft and losses has increased so dramatically. It's quite hard to imagine how that happens." Benedikt Fischer, addictions expert, Simon Fraser University

But it is happening. In 2010, licensed dealers representing producers, distributors and wholesalers had over 85,000 tablets missing through break and enters. Another 73,000 tablets were lost in transit. And under 4,000 were attributed to pilferage by employees. The street price at minimum for one tablet of Oxycontin is about $40.

The combined black market value from pharmacies and licensed dealers amounted to a loss of roughly $18.5 million in 2010. Canadians represent the world's second-largest consumers of opioid painkillers per capita. Addiction and fatal overdoses have accelerated in the past several years. Fatal overdoses now represent a greater number of deaths than drowning, in Ontario alone.

Health Canada reports: "Of course it is a concern. Any report of loss and theft is a concern to us." Health Canada is tasked with inspectors visiting facilities to examine security measures, issuing change orders when deemed necessary. Any suspicious activity noted is reported to police. Wholesalers have strict security measures, keeping controlled substances in vaults and restricting access.

Among licensed dealers about 45,000 doses of morphine and 79,000 of codeine disappeared as a result of break-ins, pilfering and other losses. "This isn't some trivial problem. We're now looking at a problem that is a major source of disease and death. These drugs are killing a lot of people", cautioned Prof. Fischer.