LAST SATURDAY THE NORTH COUNTY FILMS RELEASED A REPORT
CHALLENGING INFORMATION FROM COUNTY OFFICIALS
THAT OXYCODONE USE IS AN EPIDEMIC AMONG THOSE UNDER 235.
OXYCODONE IS A -- SYNTHETIC OPIATE.
MORGAN COOK JOINS US TO EXPLAIN HER FINDINGS.
MORGAN, THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING HE ME.
LET'S START WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HEARD FROM THE SHERIFF,
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND THE SUPERVISORS.
WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN SAYING ABOUT OXYCONTIN ABUSE IN SAN DIEGO.
WHEN THEY'VE SPOKEN ABOUT IT AT PANEL AND IN JUST PUBLIC
AND IN GENERAL, THEY USUALLY FOCUS ALMOST COMPLETELY
ON YOUNG PEOPLE.
WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS,
THEY TALK ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY MADE SOME BOLD, SCARY COMMENTS.
AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE
IN A PARTICULAR ECONOMIC GROUP, A PARTICULAR PART OF THE COUNTY?
YES. THEY HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT THEY ARE MOSTLY YOUNG PEOPLE
FROM AFFLUENT COMMUNITIES, TORREY PINES.
AND WHITE KIDS.
SO THIS IS DEPICTED AS A RICH KIDS' OF A FLICKS.
RIGHT. WHAT IS THE FIRM APPROACH IN DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM.
THEY DO EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.
THEY MADE, ACTUALLY, SOME PRETTY COOL VIDEOS
FOR PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS.
URINAL LAY SIZE IN THE NORTH COUNTY TIMES CAME
UP WITH A DIFFERENT USER DEMOGRAPHIC.
WHAT DID YOU FIND?
WELL, I FOUND THAT MIDDLE AGE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY THE BIGGEST
USERS AND ABUSERS OF OXYCODONE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST YOUNG PEOPLE.
IN FACT, IT'S OVERWHELMINGLY MIDDLE AGE PEOPLE.
IT IS. SO, I MEAN, THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT
FROM WHAT WE HAVE BEEN HEARING REPORTED
FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO TAKE
ON THAT INVESTIGATION IN THE FIRST PLACE.
WELL, I AND SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES
AT NORTH COUNTY TIMES, WE HAVE GONE TO THE PRESS CONFERENCES,
THE PUB LIKE HEARINGS AND THINGS
AND WE HEARD PUBLIC OFFICIALS SAY THAT IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM.
BUT THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE
TO GIVE US INFORMATION HOW BIG THE PROBLEM IS,
HOW MANY ARE USING IT, HOW MANY ARE DYING FROM IT.
WE ASKED FOR THOSE NUMBERS AND THEY HAVEN'T HAD THEM.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT
TO OURSELVES LET'S FIND THEM OURSELVES.
YOU DO HAVE SOME NUMBERS ABOUT --
GIVE US AN IDEA WHAT THEY ARE.
THEY ARE MEDICAL EXAMINER RECORDS, HOSPITAL DATA COLLECTED
BY THE DRUG ABUSE WARNING NETWORK,
A FEDERAL AGENCY THATTING A GRAY GATES MEDICAL EXAMINER DATA
IN HOSPITAL VISITS TO GET A PICTURE
FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH SIDE.
AND ALSO PROSECUTION DATA, WHAT EXISTED
FROM THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
SO, WHAT KIND OF A RESPONSE HAVE YOU GOTTEN
FROM COUNTY OFFICIALS NOW
THAT YOU HAVE PRESENTED THIS INFORMATION.
WELL, THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT, YES,
IT APPEARS THAT MIDDLE AGE PEOPLE ARE THE BIGGER PRINCIPLE
USERS, DYING MORE OFTEN.
BUT THEY SAID THAT -- HOW THEY DEFINED ABUSE IS DIFFERENT.
THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT KIDS WHO ARE BUYING IT ON THE STREET
LIKE MORE REMINISCENT OF STREET DRUGS.
WELL, I CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR REPORT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US, MORGAN COOK.
AND NOW HERE IS DWAYNE BROWN WITH AN UPDATE
ON WHAT KPBS IS WORKING ON FOR NEXT WEEK.
THANKS, GLORIA.