Big rise in prescription drugs for sale illegally

There has been an alarming rise in the volume of prescription drugs, including date rape pills, being seized from illegal street traders.

Figures released by the Department of Health show the number of drugs seized rose from just 1,160 in 2006 to 1.3 million last year — with sedatives including valium and xanax — used for the treatment of anxiety — making up the majority of pills taken out of circulation.

Sleeping and slimming pills, as well as erectile dysfunction medicines, are also widely available on the black market.

So far this year, more than 360,500 prescription pills intended for street sale were seized, with an estimated value of €686,383.

Tougher laws to clamp down on the illegal trading of prescription drugs are being drawn up by the Department of Health which plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act to impose tighter controls.

The department is particularly concerned about the increasing abuse of Benzodiazepines (benzos), a group of medicines prescribed for the treatment of anxiety, severe or disabling sleep disorders, in the control of muscle spasm, epilepsy and as a pre-operative medication in minor surgery. Almost 209,000 valium tablets and 39,000 xanax tablets were seized from street traders last year. Both drugs are highly addictive with a number of adverse reactions including withdrawal symptoms and drowsiness.

It’s currently illegal to supply these drugs without prescription or from the supervision of a registered pharmacist. Regulations also make it illegal for prescribed medicines to be supplied by mail order or sold over the internet.

The Department of Health is reviewing these laws to help Customs officials and the Garda to crack down on their supply.

It’s expected there will be a new offence in relation to the possession of prescription drugs which will come under the same import and export controls as illegal drugs.

Health Minister James Reilly has warned of the “inherent dangers associated with the taking of prescription medication that has not been prescribed for that individual.”

Drug overdose is the most common method of self-harm in Ireland, implicated in 77% of cases according to the May 2012 Research Bulletin of the National Suicide Research Foundation. Tranquillisers or benzos are the most common drug involved in intentional overdoses (29% of cases).

The department is also examining a range of measures to address what it described as “the overuse” of legally prescribed benzos and “the provision of alternative treatment options for existing and potential bensodiazepine users.”