CORONER FEARS MORE OXYCODONE DEATHS

Armed with climbing drug death statistics, the Spartanburg County coroner
described Friday how people fatally misuse oxycontin.

He called on residents to intervene when they know someone who misuses the
drug - to save their lives.

Coroner Jim Burnett has been monitoring an alarming trend in Spartanburg
County: 22 of the 70 accidental drug-related deaths in the past two years
have involved oxycodone. The chemical signifies that a person used a drug
such as oxycontin.

Taken as prescribed, oxycontin is a powerful and safe way to ease severe
pain, Burnett said at a news conference Friday.

But crushed into little pieces - so that the pill's time release is
disabled - the drug can cause a coma, stupor or cardiac arrest. The full
power of the drug is felt at once, he said.

Also, oxycontin taken with other drugs such as alcohol or Valium can create
a deadly mix - enhancing intended and unintended effects.

Most who abuse the drug in these ways think they know what they are doing,
Burnett said. That's why it will take someone else to intervene, Burnett said.

"People don't realize they are playing Russian roulette with this," Burnett
said.

Victims of these accidental deaths are everyday people - though many are
longtime drug abusers, Burnett said.

Obituaries show they were husbands and mothers. They had jobs - cleaning,
paving, driving a truck and nursing. In many cases, the person seemed to
fall asleep in a car or in bed, relatives or witnesses reported.

These are people who go to sleep "expecting to wake up the next morning and
not waking up," Burnett said.

Some had medical problems, such as severe headaches, Crohn's Disease, back
problems and seizures. Others indicated no medical reason to need
oxycontin. Many acquired pills without a prescription: through a street
sale or from a relative, such as an ailing grandparent, Burnett said.

Oxycontin that costs $1.40 for 10 milligrams at the pharmacy would cost $10
on the street, according to information from the coroner's office.

Twenty-two deaths may not sound like a lot, but Burnett compared it to a
plane accident where 22 people die at one time.

He fears too that the percent of drug-related deaths related to oxycodone
will only get larger in the future. The number could grow from last year as
cases are completed, he said.

Burnett acknowledged national trends and focus on oxycontin use. But he
turned his focus Friday to family and friends of people who misuse
oxycontin. He wanted to find a way to address the most important issue, he
said.

"How can we save lives?" Burnett said.