Print This Page
Random drug test on seniors may not be something that many people would expect to hear about. But these drug tests are given by physicians in order to make sure their patients are taking their prescribed medications. The reason behind this is that a new problem we are facing is the sale of prescription drugs by the elderly.
Selling Prescription Drugs
Who would have thought that the little old grandma down the street could be the one supplying the teenagers in the neighborhood with oxycodone, Valium, or other prescription drugs? But this is happening in areas around the country, and it is making things difficult for law enforcement, since the perpetrators are such unlikely suspects. It really does make sense, though. Elderly citizens are often concerned about money, as social security rarely pays all the bills and sometimes family members aren’t able to help out. Some older citizens, in a desperate act, have sold pills just to get by financially. Others have contemplated and set up an entire drug trafficking operation, reaping the financial benefits of drug dealing. When these people are caught, they face jail or prison time like everyone else. While it is still uncommon to see an elderly inmate, it is becoming increasingly more widespread, as seniors jump on the drug bandwagon.
Educate about the Dangers of Drugs
The solution to this problem may be hard to find. One would think that an elderly patient would be wise from all their years on this earth and know the harm drugs can do. But maybe that is the problem. Maybe not enough elderly people know how dangerous these drugs can be and what kind of addiction they can cause in those that abuse them. After all, if their doctor prescribed them for an 80-year-old woman, what harm can they do to a man in his 20’s? Instead of seeing it as a way to make money while younger people have fun with the pills, elderly citizens should know that millions of people live their lives in a wasted stupor because of these prescription pills.
The doctors that do random drug tests on seniors are alert to the problems around them. Doctors shouldn’t just assume that because the patient is elderly and not addicted to the drugs themselves that they aren’t abusing them. There are plenty of buyers out there, ready to make use of another person’s willingness to make money.
Unfortunately, for some elderly persons, this kind of crime is too easy to get away with. We need to educate everyone on the dangers of prescription drugs, including the elderly.
Sources
Elderly Caught Selling Prescription Drugs
Somerset Suspect Charged with Selling Drugs
Elderly Fall Branch couple indicted for selling drugs at home
