Checchi 1
Checchi 3
Danielle Checchi
Rhonda Claridge
English 111
06 December 2016
From addiction to safety
In the small town of Montrose, Colorado, known for the beauty of the Black Cannon and leisurely life style, there happens to be a dark side that most of the Montrose residents do not recognize. Opiates, more formally known as pain pills, have become an issue, not only within the United States, but also the small town of Montrose.
Stephanie Bivins, a local resident and Pharmacist of City Market, North of town, provided some information on the pharmacy policies regarding opiates and the addiction that comes along with taking the pills. Bivins exclaimed that not everyone becomes addicted to opiates when taking them but, “Usually it happens to people that take opiates long term or in large amounts.” City Market’s pharmacy has created a policy and team to help limit opiate addicts who use the pharmacy. Bivins admitted that the earliest a prescription can be refilled is three days prior to the next refill date. If a customer continuously requests to refill their prescription three days early every month, the pharmacy will restrict to one or two days early or not at all depending on the customer’s situation. Per Bivins, “A police report must be filed and a copy of it must be given to the pharmacist before they are eligible for an early refill. If a customer wishes to refill an opiate prescription early claiming they “lost” it or someone “stole” it.” The pharmacy takes great precautions during the procedures when filling opiate prescriptions. Bivins was not able to provide the number of Montrose citizens that are addicted but, did give some insight, “Although it is a smaller town it does occur more frequently than the community acknowledges. It is becoming a bigger issue that needs to be recognized.”
A resident of Montrose, who wishes to remain anonymous, John Smith, relates very closely to this topic. After becoming injured from an accident at work, Smith had no other option than to have an emergency surgery and to accept several large prescriptions of opiates for the excruciating pain. Shortly after being prescribed the opiates, his wife began abusing them. The pills began to diminish very quickly with two people taking them. Smith claimed he did not mind that his w...
