Addiction can make a person do crazy things; Things that a stable minded person would never think of doing; like robbing a pharmacy and endangering the lives of innocent people all in an addiction-fueled quest for drugs.
This particular type of crime has become an epidemic of epidemic in our society with the recent robbery of Charlie’s Pharmacy, adding to the disturbingly long list of victimized pharmacies. According to the Huffington post reports that 43- year old James Mcgoey from Hampton Bays entered the pharmacy around 2:00 PM, armed with a pellet gun and the intention of robbing the store. Off duty federal agent John Capano, who served in both Iraq and Afganistan, was killed in his attempts to stop the robbery, and Mcgoey himself was also killed in the altercation.
Robberies of pharmacies have risen 81% since 2006, according to the Long Island Press, and many times it comes with fatal consequences. The reason for this rise in crime is due to the addiction to drugs that these pharmacies carry.
Nurses Mrs. Patusi and Mrs. Nolan explain that this epidemic may be growing in frequency because of the accessibility to prescription drugs, and the ease of which one can become addicted. The nurses blame this on the fact that prescription drugs can be found in the homes of many families, and can be taken by addicts from a family member who is using the medication properly. Medicated injuries are also a big cause, because it is very easy to become addicted once one starts using painkillers, even if it is used properly. Finally the nurses blame doctors’ careless prescriptions of medication which is known to have addictive side effects, without the proper diagnosis.
The addictive quality of these drugs, mostly painkillers, is what makes them so hard to deny, and which causes people to go to extreme lengths in order to attain them. “Addiction is so strong; the addicts don’t even have control over their minds anymore,” says Mrs. Nolan.
Drugs linger in the human body long after drug use is halted, and the withdrawal period from these drugs can take from 4-6 weeks, according to Mrs. Nolan. She describes that the drug users experience feelings of drowsiness, relaxation, and extreme happiness. These are the releases that the addicts crave, and the painful withdrawal period is too much for many people to handle, causing them to return to the drug.
This epidemic which is sweeping across New York has brought fear to many of its residents. Customers along with pharmacy owners have become wary of entering pharmacies, in fear that another tragedy may occur. “It’s just that it [the robberies] happened so many times before, and a lot of completely innocent people have gotten hurt” explains one MHS student, “it makes you think that you can easily become a victim.”
Pharmacy owners express a similar fear, evident in the large sign reading WE DON’T SELL OXYCOTIN outside local pharmacy Arlo’s, on Park Blvd. Pharmacies are trying to protect themselves from this growing struggle by making themselves seem unappealing to potential robbers.
The epidemic of Pharmacy robberies and shootings have taken the lives of too many innocent people. Addiction, the cause of these robberies, can be easily prevented. “Education about these drugs needs to start in elementary and middle schools,” explains nurse Mrs. Nolan, “because by the time they reach high school, it’s too late.” With the education to children about the devastating effects of prescription drug abuse, along with the ending of careless prescriptions being handed out to misdiagnosed patients, addiction along with it’s violent and tragic consequences