Crack Cocaine

Cocaine in both powder and crack forms is prevalent throughout the state of Virginia, in both wholesale and retail quantities. Considerable levels of violence continue to be associated with the crack cocaine trade in urban areas. Colombian and Dominican drug trafficking organizations in New York City supply some of the cocaine available in Virginia, but many local traffickers are increasingly reliant on Mexican sources of supply in the southwestern U.S., North Carolina, and Georgia. During 2008, occasional reduced cocaine availability and higher prices indicated that there was a sporadic shortage of cocaine in the Richmond area.

Dentist's A Target?

Dentists, doctors and veterinarians all become targets of addicts.   Drug addicts often contact these professionals under false pretenses, hoping to find a dishonest doctor or one who will simply fall for their story.  Many learn the various symptoms and ailments that warrant pain management and will feign the symptoms.

The numbers of pain killer addicts have doubled since 2000. At that time 3.8 million Americans were addicted to the drugs, now nearly 7 million people are hooked.  These numbers from the DEA illustrate the rapidly increasing problem.

Prescription drug abuse has now eclipsed illegal drug abuse with our youth and quite often the abuse is happening right under the nose of unsuspecting family members.  All too often children are raiding the family medicine cabinet or buying drugs in the school yard from other children.

In a recent CNN report Dr. Jay Grossman, a dentist in L.A., reports that he receives many suspicious calls from drug addicts seeking pain medication.

“The moment somebody hangs up the phone on me, I know that they’re literally going down the book. They’re calling the next one in the Yellow Pages, hoping that someone will write them a prescription,” said Dr. Grossman. “If you’re an addict, one of your resources would certainly be a dentist.”