By BOB HIGH

The illegal sale and use of prescription pain-killing drugs has reached epidemic proportions in Columbus County and is probably surpassing the use of crack cocaine, long considered the preferred method of getting an instant "high," law enforcement officials say.

Lt. Bill Ingram, head of the Sheriff's Drug Unit, said the street use of prescription drugs has spread like wildfire in the past five years and his five-man unit is making more and more arrests involving this type of illegal sale.

"Right now, the illegal sale and use of prescription medication is as bad or worse than any illegal drug use in the county, including crack cocaine," Ingram said. Ingram's drug unit made the third case Friday in two weeks of people involved in the illegal sale of prescription medication. See related story Page 4-A of the printed edition.

He noted it is "obvious that some people are doctor shopping. When they're turned down for a pain-killing prescription by one doctor, they find another doctor who'll give them what they want.

"The doctors are often in adjacent counties and the people living in this county bring the pills back here to illegally sell them as a dealer or sell them to a dealer," the drug detective continued.

He pointed out the abuse is normally in the age group of 16 to 35, and said a lot of users overdose by chewing a time-release pill. "When they chew it they're getting all the power at one time," the detective noted.

Ingram said street dealers across the county often use several people, sometimes members of their families, to obtain prescription pills for a variety of reasons. "We've even encountered some people taking medication from the elderly members of their families and selling the pills. Sometimes the elderly people need these pills because of their various ailments, but the drugs are being sold," Ingram added.

Many people across the county are faking injuries to obtain pain medication. "They go to one doctor with one problem, then they go to a second doctor with another. Often, there's nothing wrong with the person, and we've found people who've been "cured' of a problem continuing to get the medicine so it can be sold on the street," the detective said.

"We're working every complaint as diligently and as quickly as possible, and we encourage the public to continue to call us when they notice some unusual activity in their neighborhood," Ingram said.

Most break-ins of homes and vehicles across the county result in the theft of medication if it can be found, and Ingram said there are some people reporting the theft of their prescription pills so they can obtain a refill before a 30-day time limit has elapsed.

Ingram said the continued use and abuse of prescription medication could lead to the use of other drugs such as heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine.

People who are obtaining prescription medication for them to sell or to sell to a street dealer are finding more and more ways to get the pills, plus they're teaching others how to shop for the powerful medication, Ingram added.