Tragedy

This past week I was faced with some terrible news. A close friend of mine passed away suddenly. His death is a shock to everyone that knew him, and let me tell you, his reach stretched far and wide. So far, the only news of the circumstances involving his death are speculation of a drug overdose. Since any official news isn't really surfacing, friend have begun to dig a little deeper only to discover that most recently, Nick's life had taken a dark turn.

This has been consuming my mind since I found out on Wednesday morning. His obituary was published in the Burlington Free Press today, Nicholas Wells Booth. 

While I was frantically searching for an obituary on Wednesday, I stumbled across an article on prescription drug abuse in Vermont, leading to Heroin addictions. 

Vermont warned that prescription drug addiction can lead to heroin use.

MONTPELIER — Vermont could find itself facing a major heroin problem if it doesn’t confront what health officials have called a prescription opiate epidemic in the state, according to testimony before a joint meeting of the Senate and House judiciary committees Wednesday.

As prescription drug abuse is on the rise, and the average user's age is falling every year, big pharmaceutical companies make an attempt at damage control.

Purdue Pharma, a drug company based in Stamford, CT, is best known for producing the opiate derived drug, OxyContin. Oxycontin abuse is on the rise, as I witnessed tragically this past week. Purdue Pharma prepared a press release on Halloween of 2011, announcing a partnership with the National Education Association Health..."to create new educational resources for middle school teachers focusing on the critical health problem of prescription drug abuse and misuse.".

Purdue Pharma Press Release