This week, California Connected shows you a unique drug raid in Los Angeles, where law enforcement officers are not after marijuana, methamphetamines or cocaine but rather medications, such as antibiotics, being sold without prescriptions or government approval.
This illegal drug bust is the work of L.A. County Health Authority’s Law Enforcement Task Force, also known as HALT, a combination of public health officials, deputies and police.
It is the only such group in the state dedicated to combating the illegal “pharmacies” that spring up at swap meets, markets, gift shops and even private homes primarily in immigrant communities.
The market for these drugs is populated with Californians who say it is the only way for them to get the medicines they need cheaper and faster, as well as those who say they cannot afford health insurance nor the inconvenience of missing work to wait in long lines at free clinics.
But for every such benefit there is also a danger. Some of the drugs being sold through illegal pharmacies may not even be effective because they have either expired or were improperly stored. Worse still, self-prescribing medications without medical training could lead to severe allergic reactions and even death.
Illegal pharmacies even pose a threat to those Californians who have health insurance and would not resort to the black market for their medical needs.
Some of the low-income individuals and families using illegal pharmacies may likely have to wait until their ailment becomes life-threatening before they get proper medical care, thus clogging emergency rooms.
Additionally, the improper administration of injectable medications could spread hepatitis or HIV just as the indiscriminant use of antibiotics, a problem even in the realm of licensed healthcare, permits stronger bacterium to breed and spread.
Despite these grave repercussions, law enforcement efforts to curb the explosive growth of illegal pharmacies are far and few in between. According to LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina, “The problem is that no one was really minding the store. It’s the state who should be enforcing the law. But very frankly, they don’t have the number of inspectors that should be doing it.”
Would you like to become involved in this issue?
For referrals to free or low-cost health care in LA County, call 800-427-8700 (M-F 8a-5p) or statewide 800-236-9747. To report illegal pharmaceutical sales in Los Angeles, call HALT at 213-989-7039.
Update November 21, 2006
The H.A.L.T. program has reduced the number of illegal pharmacies. They do not receive as many complaints as before due efforts to crack down on illegal pharmaceutical sales and unlicensed doctors.
However, officials report there is still more work to be done.
These days H.A.L.T is seeing more instances of healthcare fraud. For example, marketers recruit patients to fake clinics. The clinics do one exam but continue to bill Medi-Cal or Medicare, even though the patient hasn’t returned to the clinic for services. These fake clinics continue to bill until the patients’ benefits run out.
- LA’s HALT
- Risks posed by illegal pharmacies (HALT)
- U.S. Dept. of Justice report on same
- FDA reports on prescription drugs
- AARP on prescription drug costs
- Safe Healthcare Project, guide to affordable legal alternatives, Orange County Health Care Agency
- Stanford Univ. on pill-splitting, savings
- A consumer advocate on drug costs
- Ambiguously illegal pharmacy, The San Diego Tribune