BULLETIN INTELLIGENCE

U. S. D E P A R T M E N T O F J U S T I C E

Overview

The prescription drug OxyContin contains the 

narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride and is available 

in controlled-release tablets of 10, 20, 40, and 80 

milligrams. OxyContin is prescribed in the United 

States to treat moderate to severe pain and is abused 

for its heroin-like effects. The diversion and abuse 

of OxyContin have increased sharply since the drug 

became available in 1996, raising concerns among 

law enforcement and public health agencies. 

Diversion

Most OxyContin abused in the United States is 

diverted by illegally written or forged prescriptions, 

“doctor shopping” (when individuals, who may or 

may not have a legitimate ailment, visit numerous 

doctors to obtain drugs in excess of what should be 

prescribed legitimately), and theft. According to 

law enforcement reporting, the availability of 

diverted OxyContin may be stabilizing and has 

decreased in some areas. The theft of OxyContin 

dosage units increased from 260,688 (791 incidents) in 2000, to 519,597 (1,228 incidents) in 

2001, to 587,168 (1,479 incidents) in 2002, but 

decreased to 464,312 (1,251 incidents) in 2003, 

according to the Drug Enforcement Administration 

(DEA). OxyContin abusers also steal or buy

OxyContin from friends or family members with 

legitimate prescriptions who often are prescribed

a 30-day supply of the drug.

Oxycodone and Pain Management

Oxycodone hydrochloride is an opiate agonist. 

Opiate agonists provide pain relief by acting on 

opioid receptors in the spinal cord, brain, and 

possibly in the tissues directly, and provide the 

most effective pain relief available. Oxycodone 

has a high abuse potential and is prescribed for 

moderate to severe pain associated with injuries, 

bursitis, dislocations, fractures, neuralgia, 

arthritis, lower back pain, and cancer. It is also 

used postoperatively and for pain relief after 

childbirth. Individuals who take the drug 

repeatedly can develop a tolerance or resistance 

to its effects. Thus, a cancer patient who has 

developed a tolerance for the drug can take a 

dose of oxycodone on a regular basis that would 

be fatal to a person never exposed to oxycodone.

OxyContin Diversion, Availability, and Abuse

Product No. 2004-L0424-017 AUGUST 2004

NDIC
OxyContin Diversion, Availability, and Abuse

2

National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) 

National Drug Threat Survey 2003 (NDTS) data also 

indicate that OxyContin is frequently diverted. 

Nationally, NDTS 2003 data indicate that 67.0 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies 

report that OxyContin is commonly diverted and 

abused in their areas—a higher percentage than any 

other pharmaceutical drug. A higher percentage of 

state and local law enforcement agencies in the 

Southeast region report that OxyContin is commonly 

diverted and abused in their areas (83.9%) than agencies in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic (75.0%), Great 

Lakes (65.4%), West Central (61.8%), Pacific 

(56.9%), and Southwest (28.6%) regions. 

The price of diverted OxyContin varies. DEA 

drug price data indicate that diverted OxyContin 

typically is sold for $1 per milligram. For example, 

a 40-milligram OxyContin tablet typically sells for 

$40; however, the price may vary depending on 

availability and other factors.

Availability

OxyContin is prevalent in every region of the 

country. However, law enforcement reporting indicates that the availability of diverted OxyContin 

may be stabilizing and has decreased in some areas. 

For example, law enforcement reporting indicates 

that OxyContin availability has decreased in areas 

covered by the Appalachia High Intensity Drug 

Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and DEA Field Divisions 

in Detroit, Miami, and Philadelphia. Nevertheless, 

NDTS 2003 data reveal that 67.0 percent of state 

and local law enforcement respondents nationwide 

report that OxyContin is a commonly diverted or 

illicitly used pharmaceutical in their areas—higher 

than any other prescription narcotic including Percocet (52.2%), codeine (50.4%), Percodan (44.6%), 

and Dilaudid (27.5%). More agencies in the Southeast (83.9%), Northeast/Mid-Atlantic (75.0%), 

Great Lakes (65.4%), West Central (61.8%), and 

Pacific (56.9%) regions report that OxyContin is a 

commonly diverted or illicitly used pharmaceutical 

than in the Southwest (28.6%) region.

The total amount of diverted OxyContin available is unknown; however, legitimate distribution 

of the drug has increased sharply since 2000, 

thereby making more of the drug available for 

diversion. DEA reports increases in the total 

amount of licit OxyContin distributed to pharmacies, hospitals, practitioners, midlevel practitioners, 

and teaching institutions from 14,002,125.38 

grams in 2001, to 15,118,153.37 in 2002, to 

16,982,548.32 in 2003. Most of the OxyContin tablets were distributed to pharmacies, where distribution increased from 13,244,842.07 grams in 2001, 

to 14,338,099.69 in 2002, to 16,164,721.94 in 

2003. As legitimate distribution of OxyContin has 

increased since 2000, the theft of OxyContin also 

has increased. According to DEA, the theft of OxyContin dosage units increased from 260,688 (791 

incidents) in 2000 to 464,312 (1,251 incidents) in 

2003. 

Fraudulent OxyContin Prescriptions 

On February 28, 2003, the U.S. Attorney’s Office 

for the Southern District of Indiana announced 

that an Indiana doctor was sentenced to serve 51 

months’ imprisonment following his guilty pleas to 

unlawful trafficking in OxyContin and healthcare 

fraud. Between July and December 2001, the 

doctor prescribed OxyContin to a woman in 

amounts that were not medically necessary. For 

example, in one 14-day period in November 

2001, the doctor prescribed 860 80-mg tablets of 

OxyContin. From January through December 

2001, $130,000 was paid by the Indiana 

Medicaid program for OxyContin prescribed to 

this individual. After the prescriptions written by 

the doctor had been filled, the OxyContin was 

allegedly sold for cash to several individuals in 

Jennings County. The woman pled guilty to 

unlawful trafficking in OxyContin and healthcare 

fraud and was sentenced in December 2002 to 

41 months’ imprisonment. 

Source: U. S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana.
National Drug Intelligence Center

 3

In contrast to the increased distribution of 

OxyContin since 2000, the number of investigations and arrests for OxyContin reported by DEA 

has declined, and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigations and 

indictments have fluctuated. The number of DEA 

OxyContin-related investigations declined from 

172 in 2001, to 140 in 2002, to 71 in 2003. The 

number of OxyContin-related arrests by DEA also 

declined from 202 in 2001, to 179 in 2002, to 141 

in 2003. In contrast, the number of OCDETF 

OxyContin-related investigations fluctuated from 

10 in fiscal year (FY) 2001 to 22 in FY2002, but 

declined to 13 in FY2003. The number of 

OCDETF indictments for OxyContin-related 

offenses increased each year from 7 in FY2001, to 

31 in FY2002, to 40 in FY2003.

The number of oxycodone samples submitted 

for testing has fluctuated; however, oxycodone was 

one of the most analyzed drug items in 2002. 

According to DEA System to Retrieve Information 

from Drug Evidence (STRIDE) data, the number of 

oxycodone dosage units submitted for testing 

decreased from 74,148.3 in 2001 to 24,040.4 in 

2002, but increased to 59,695.9 in 2003. National 

Forensic Laboratory Information System data for 

2002 show that oxycodone was among the 10 most 

analyzed drug items in state and local forensic 

laboratories; however, oxycodone represented 

only 0.98 percent of total analyzed drug items. 

Pacific Pacific

West Central West Central

Southwest Southwest Southeast Southeast

Great

Lakes

Northeast/ Northeast/

Mid-Atlantic Mid-Atlantic

Pacific

West Central

Southwest Southeast

Great

Lakes

Northeast/

Mid-Atlantic

Regions.
OxyContin Diversion, Availability, and Abuse

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Abuse

OxyContin is abused by individuals in all age 

groups and social strata; however, national-level 

drug prevalence data indicate that males are more 

likely to abuse OxyContin than females, and individuals in rural areas are more likely to abuse the 

drug than individuals in large metropolitan areas. 

According to Monitoring the Future (MTF) data, 

the rates of past year OxyContin abuse were higher 

among eighth (1.9%), tenth (3.6%), and twelfth 

(5.6%) grade males than were rates among eighth 

(0.9%), tenth (2.4%), and twelfth (2.6%) grade 

females in 2002, the most recent year for which 

such data are available. MTF data for 2002 further 

indicate that rates of past year OxyContin abuse 

were higher among eighth (1.5%), tenth (3.7%), 

and twelfth (4.7%) graders in nonmetropolitan statistical areas (rural areas) than were rates of use 

among eighth (1.2%), tenth (2.0%), and twelfth 

(3.7%) graders in large metropolitan statistical 

areas (urban areas).

According to data from the National Survey on 

Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), adults, particularly young adults, are more likely to abuse OxyContin than are adolescents. NSDUH data for 

2002—the latest year for which such data are available—indicate that of the estimated 1,924,000 individuals who have used OxyContin nonmedically at 

least once in their lifetime, approximately 

1,700,000 were aged 18 or older compared with 

224,000 who were aged 12 to 17. Moreover, 

NSDUH data for 2002 show that the rates of lifetime OxyContin use were higher for individuals 

aged 18 to 25 (2.6%) than for those aged 12 to 17 

(0.9%) or those aged 26 or older (0.5%).

Rates of use for OxyContin may be trending 

upward. MTF data indicate that past year use of 

OxyContin rose from 2002 to 2003, though not 

significantly, for eighth (1.3% to 1.7%), tenth 

(3.0% to 3.6%), and twelfth (4.0% to 4.5%) graders. The consequences of oxycodone (including 

OxyContin) use also appear to be rising. 

According to Drug Abuse Warning Network 

(DAWN) data, the estimated number of emergency 

department (ED) mentions for oxycodone rose 

from 10,825 in 2000, to 18,409 in 2001, to 22,397 

in 2002. DAWN data further indicate that the estimated number of ED mentions for oxycodone 

increased significantly in several DAWN reporting 

cities, particularly Detroit, where oxycodone ED 

mentions increased 249.0 percent from 2001 (45) 

to 2002 (157). The number of oxycodone-related 

treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities 

also appears to be increasing. According to the 

Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), the number 

of oxycodone-related admissions to publicly 

funded treatment facilities rose sharply from 138 

in 1999, to 441 in 2000, to 1,039 in 2001, the

latest year for which such data are available.

(Oxycodone-related admissions are not reported 

by all states.)

Effects of OxyContin Use 

Individuals who abuse OxyContin risk 

developing tolerance for the drug, meaning they 

must take increasingly higher doses to achieve 

the same effects. Long-term abuse of the drug 

can lead to physical dependence and addiction. 

Individuals who become dependent upon or 

addicted to the drug may experience withdrawal 

symptoms if they cease using the drug. 

Withdrawal symptoms associated with 

OxyContin dependency or addiction include 

restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, 

diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, and involuntary 

leg movements. Individuals who take a large 

dose of OxyContin are at risk of severe 

respiratory depression that can lead to death. 

Inexperienced and new users are at particular 

risk because they may be unaware of what 

constitutes a large dose and have not developed 

a tolerance for the drug. OxyContin abusers who 

inject the drug expose themselves to additional 

risks, including contracting HIV (human 

immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B and C, and 

other blood-borne viruses.
National Drug Intelligence Center

 5

Outlook

OxyContin abuse will likely stabilize in the 

near future. Despite drug prevalence data that indicate OxyContin abuse may be trending upward, 

MTF data indicate that rates of abuse for “other 

narcotics” (oxycodones, hydrocodones, and opium) 

have stabilized recently. According to MTF, the 

rates of past year use of other narcotics increased 

steadily among twelfth graders from a relatively 

low 3.3 percent in 1992, to 6.2 percent in 1997, to 

9.4 percent in 2002, but remained relatively stable 

at 9.3 percent in 2003. Among young adults (aged 

19 to 28), rates of past year use also have increased 

steadily from 1992 (2.5%) to 1997 (3.3%) to 2001 

(5.0%), but remained relatively stable at 5.1 percent in 2002, the latest year for which such data are 

available. MTF has surveyed eighth, tenth, and 

twelfth graders since 2002 concerning use of

OxyContin. Although each grade has shown 

increases in OxyContin abuse from 2002 to 2003, 

increases were all under 1 percent.

In the near future, other pharmaceutical manufacturers are expected to release generic forms of 

OxyContin. It is unclear what effect this will have on 

the level of OxyContin abuse; however, more individuals may visit physicians to obtain OxyContin or 

its less expensive generic equivalent.
OxyContin Diversion, Availability, and Abuse

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Sources

Executive Office of the President

Office of National Drug Control Policy

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

Appalachia

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Monitoring the Future

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Office of Applied Studies

Drug Abuse Warning Network

National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Treatment Episode Data Set

U.S. Department of Justice

Drug Enforcement Administration

Detroit Field Division

Miami Field Division

National Forensic Laboratory Information System

Philadelphia Field Division

System To Retrieve Information From Drug Evidence

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Indiana

Office of the Deputy Attorney General

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

Office of Diversion Control

Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System
National Drug Intelligence Center

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OxyContin Diversion, Availability, and Abuse

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