The New Frontier...Vending Machines Dispensing Pain Medications

The news media has been rightfully fixated on the increasing number of drug overdose deaths in the sunshine state. This month, the Florida Medical Examiners Commission found that almost eight Floridians a day are dying as a result of prescription pain medication abuse. Despite the overwhelming success of Pinellas County's Drug Court, the Clearwater / St. Petersburg area holds the distinction of leading the state in the number of reported prescription pill related deaths.

Scoring Pain Pills - The Old Fashioned Way

Pain pills are commonly secured through doctor shopping and prescription fraud scams that can lead to an arrest for felony drug possession charges. Through this course of illegal conduct, many addicts unknowingly set themselves up for serious minimum mandatory prison sentences that are mandated by Florida's serious drug trafficking laws. What they later learn, is that by simply possessing certain quantities of the pills, it is "presumed" they are drug traffickers, despite their intent to only feed their addiction and their total disinterest in selling or distributing the drugs.

See: "Drug Trafficking in Florida...A Crime You Thought You Understood."
See: Record Pinellas Oxycodone Prosecutions - How Did We Get Here?

Securing pills the "old fashioned way," is about to become a more riskier endeavor. That's because Florida's prescription drug database is scheduled to go live on September 1, 2011.

The prescription drug database will monitor patients who allegedly “doctor shop,” by going from doctor to doctor requesting pain pill prescriptions. This new computerized system will also allow doctors to have ready access to information that will enable them to decide whether to prescribe certain narcotic medications to patients based on their pain pill prescription history.

Desperate Measures for Desperate Addicts

Individuals with serious addictions are often driven to desperate measures to secure pain pill medications such as oxycodone, alprazolam (xanax), diazepam (Valium), morphine, methadone and hydrocodone (Vicodin). This can lead to wearing a ski mask, leaping over drug store counters, pistol whipping pharmacy personnel or even threatening to shoot the pharmacist with a sawed off shotgun in an effort to secure significant quantities of pharmaceutical drugs.

In one case alone, four persons were shot dead in a Staten Island pharmacy in a prescription pill robbery gone wrong. There have even been "execution style" drug store robberies where rather than making a demand or threat for the pain pills, the perpetrators simply shoot the pharmacist in the back of the head and then go on to fill a backpack with pain killers.

With the raging pain pill epidemic, robberies of drug stores have reached record levels. The New York Times recently reported that in the last three years alone, 1,800 pharmacists were victims of violent crime in the workplace. It is interesting to note that Florida, California, Washington, Indiana and Ohio lead the nation.

Coming Soon to a Pharmacy Near You...

It is no wonder that thirty-three states and the District of Columbia are now using vending machines to dispense prescription medications. Major drug store chains enjoy enormous cost savings by cutting back on the number of pharmacists they employ. There are also obvious safety benefits associated with the otherwise rash of violent crimes directed at that industry/occupation.

"InstyMeds" vending machines are akin to an ATM with the simplicity of a soda machine. The physician prepares a prescription with a web based software application that includes a personalized security code. The patient thereafter enters his code number along with his date of birth on to the machine's keypad and the medication is dropped into a bin like a Diet Pepsi. See: An ATM for What Ails You

Heist the ATM or Steal the Drug Vending Machine?

Thefts of ATM machines are common place. The Internet hosts plenty of security camera videos showing the brazen efforts of individual loading these heavy steel cased machines into the trunks of cars or into the beds of pick up trucks. One such video boasts of an ATM theft in only 36 seconds, Although the exact total number of nationwide ATM thefts is unavailable, some figures show the apparent ease and popularity of this serious offense. For example, last year Texas experienced over 100 ATM thefts and in the last twelve months, the city of San Diego alone saw 28 machines heisted.

Addiction can be stronger motivator than mere greed. Likewise, impaired people often exercise poor choices. With that said, you have to wonder if these new prescription pill vending machines will become an obvious target and contemporary method of illegally securing pain medications.

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Related Videos:

Watch a Video on: How the InstyMeds Vending Machine Works