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Diverted Pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical distribution and abuse are growing in New Jersey at an increasing rate. According to the NDTS 2003, 60.4 percent of New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported that pharmaceuticals were readily available, and 0.2 percent of agencies identified pharmaceuticals as their greatest drug threat. Narcotics investigators in several counties report that OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax in particular are increasing in popularity. NDTS 2003 data further indicate that New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported these three prescription drugs as the most commonly diverted or illicitly used pharmaceuticals in the state. Most pharmaceutical abusers are in their late thirties to early forties or are of high school or college age. Diverted pharmaceuticals typically are obtained in New Jersey through common diversion techniques. These include prescription fraud, improper prescribing practices, pharmacy theft, and "doctor shopping," a practice whereby individuals who may or may not have a legitimate ailment visit numerous physicians to obtain drugs in excess of what should be legitimately prescribed. Diverted pharmaceuticals often are sold behind closed doors and occasionally at open-air drug markets, primarily in Essex (Newark and Irvington), Camden, and Salem Counties. According to the DEA Newark Division, diverted OxyContin sold for $15 per 20-milligram tablet and $30 per 40-milligram tablet during the second quarter of FY2003. Diverted Percocet sold for $1 to $10 per tablet, and diverted Xanax sold for $1 to $2 per tablet during that same period.

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