By Staff
Drug addiction sends more lives spiraling toward disaster than just about any other destructive force in American society. Once the uncontrollable desire to satisfy an addiction takes hold of a person, just about every other priority takes a back seat. We've all heard the stories, and know that all too often they don't have happy endings.
Many times, a pattern of addiction that can ruin a life takes hold when a person is young, and begins with a substance that might be more close at hand than crack, crystal meth or even marijuana. Often it's alcohol, but more and more, it's a prescription medication. They can do wonders for those who obtain them legally, with a legitimate prescription. But they're equally harmful -- potentially disastrous -- for those who abuse them illegally.
In Escambia County, drugs like Oxy Contin and Xanax have become as big a problem as any substance cooked up in an illegal backwoods lab, especially among young people. A bill signed last month by Gov. Bob Riley hopes to help combat that by creating a database for tracking prescriptions, thereby curbing a person's ability to get multiple orders for a drug filled by multiple doctors. Area law enforcement officers are in fravor of the new measue, and here's hoping it proves as useful a tool as they're anticipating. Anything that keeps more drugs from making their way into the hands of our caounty's youth will be welcome.