Like other states across the United States the state of New York has seen an increase in the amount of prescription drugs that are abused on a regular basis.  In fact, it has become such a problem that many of the pills sold on the pharmaceutical drug market are actually fake pills by people looking to make a quick buck off of those who are addicted to them.

The two most commonly abused drugs in the state of New York are OxyContin and hydrocodone, which is known more familiarly as Vicodin.  Many people obtain these drugs to sell illegally by visiting a large amount of doctors across the city in a practice called ‘doctor shopping’ to obtain multiple prescriptions that they can later sell.  Oftentimes the practice also involves forging prescriptions.

Two other commonly abused drugs are methadone and benzodiazepines the latter of which is commonly diazepam and alprazolam.  Theft and smuggling from other countries with looser medication laws and regulations such as Mexico is a common way that the prescription drugs enter the country and enter the drug trade.

Outside of these drugs prescription depression medications such as Xanax are often commonly misused in the state of New York.  There is a large usage rate among high school students when it comes to these medications perhaps because they are easier to obtain than tapping into the drug trade.

In wealthier New York schools abuse of Adderall, a prescription medication used to treat ADD, is a large problem with students snorting the drug in an effort to remain more alert throughout the night.  Among college students in the New York area the use of Adderall is extremely widespread with many students using the drug on the same regular basis as marijuana or alcohol.

Several other ways in which prescription drugs are spread across New York that have not previously been mentioned include shopping online for prescriptions and pill shipments through pharmacy groups, employee theft due to the high value of the pill, and pharmacy store robberies.