Druggists warned as desperate OxyContin addicts turn to robbery to feed habit
 Caution comes after Calgary man handed eight-year sentence for robbery spree
 By Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald
July 20, 2010

With a rising number of robberies by addicts desperately seeking OxyContin, drug stores are warned to be vigilant and prepare a plan for "crisis situations," says the group representing pharmacists.

Cynthia Rousseau, spokeswoman for the Alberta Pharmacists Association, said the group is concerned about its members following a spate of holdups by robbers wanting to feed their addiction to the potent painkiller. OxyContin has been dubbed "Hillbilly Heroin" because it's cheap and produces a high similar to heroin.

"OxyContin does seem to be the drug of choice when it comes to robberies," said Rousseau, whose group represents about half of Alberta's 4,000 pharmacists.

"Of course, safety is our No. 1 priority. Our message to pharmacists is to plan how they'll react in crisis situations and protect themselves and staff from personal injury. It's similar to what they'd do in bank robberies. You can replace the drug, but you can't replace the people."

Rousseau's comments came as 31-year-old Cory Alan Sharlow was handed an eight-year sentence on Monday for robberies he committed during a month-long spree last fall to feed a spiralling drug habit. He also stole cars to use as getaway vehicles.

"Your case is one of those distressing cases where an addiction dictates your actions," provincial court Judge Anne Brown told Sharlow. "The only way to denounce your conduct is to have a lengthy sentence. You leave the court no option."

OxyContin, a brand name of the drug oxycodone, is an opiate-based, time-release painkiller that produces a euphoric effect. A University of Victoria study done several years ago, encompassing seven Canadian cities, revealed that OxyContin and other prescription opioids are more popular than heroin among drug abusers in Canada.

It has been sought after by frantic addicts in a series of holdups in Calgary in recent months.

Aside from Monday's case, Robert Michael Gauthier, 34, was sentenced in March to 8 1/2 years for robbing a dozen Calgary pharmacies between Oct. 26, 2008, and May 5, 2009, the second spree while he was on bail for the first spree.

One of Gauthier's victims was a pregnant woman.

His co-accused, Dawn Farkas, 27, pleaded guilty to her role in the first series of heists and is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 19.

Another OxyContin addict, Timothy Curtis Arthurs, 25, struck out after robbing the same northwest drugstore three times, including the same pharmacist twice last fall. He was sentenced in February to 3½ years in prison after pleading guilty.

A Calgary pharmacist who sold thousands of painkiller pills, first to pay off a gambling debt and then after he was threatened by the buyer, was handed an 18-month conditional sentence to be served in the community last September.

He admitted trafficking 16,000 OxyContin pills between February and October 2007.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Druggists+warned+desperate+OxyContin+addicts+turn+robbery+feed+habit/3298067/story.html?cid=megadrop_story#ixzz0uKF0122a