Nationwide, prescription drugs make up nearly 30% of all drug trafficking cases. One in four teenagers have abused prescription drugs, due to prescription drugs being perceived as “safer” than street drugs.
Pharmaceutical diversion is the “diversion” of prescription drugs from their intended purpose. Diverted prescription drugs are often abused or sold for money. Most commonly, prescription drugs are obtained illegally through prescription fraud or “doctor shopping”, where a patient visits multiple physicians for the purpose of obtaining multiple prescriptions of pain killers. The medications most commonly obtained through diversion are prescription pain medications containing Oxycodone or Hydrocodone. NKDSF investigators work closely with doctors and pharmacists to investigate the illegal diversion of prescription medications.