BIDDEFORD – Fifty-four law enforcement officials from York and Cumberland counties will attend a seminar today on the growing problem of prescription drug abuse and trafficking in Maine.

The seminar, hosted by the Biddeford Police Department, follows the publication last month of a federal study showing that Maine ranks first in the nation for the percentage of residents being treated for addiction to painkillers.

The problem has been evident in Biddeford, where more than half a dozen pharmacies have been held up in the past year by robbers seeking OxyContin, a common prescription painkiller.

Police Chief Roger Beaupre said Wednesday that his department decided to host the seminar, led by representatives of Purdue Pharma, after a meeting in the fall between Biddeford law enforcement, pharmacists and pharmacy representatives.

Purdue Pharma makes OxyContin and other prescription pain management medications.

With the exception of a robbery last week at the Rite Aid on Alfred Street, all of the cases in Biddeford have been solved, Beaupre said, but closing the case on a crime is not enough.

“You can solve (the robberies), but that doesn’t seem to discourage anybody,” said Beaupre, who called prescription drug abuse a community problem. “Somebody has to take some initiative to work together to prevent the continuation of this abuse.”

Today’s seminar will focus on training in drug identification, lawful prescribing, keys to spotting trafficking of medication and interacting with neighboring law enforcement agencies to report pharmacy robberies and identify suspects.

Purdue Pharma did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.

Beaupre said cooperation among law enforcement, stores, doctors and pharmacists is critical for the prevention of prescription drug abuse.

Cumberland County Sheriff’s Capt. Donald Goulet said part of solving the problem is staying on top of new trends in prescription drug use and the steps pharmacies have taken to curb abuse.

“Like in any crime,” he said, “it is always just staying ahead of the curve and on top of the changes.”

Goulet noted that prescription drug abuse leads to crimes other than pharmacy robberies, such as drug trafficking, theft, sales of stolen goods and driving under the influence.

The recent federal study showed that in Maine in 2008, 386 of every 100,000 residents age 12 or older were admitted for treatment of addiction to painkillers. The national rate was 45 per 100,000 people, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report.

Painkillers include opiates such as hydrocodone and oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin, as well as other drugs with morphine-like effects.

Experts have speculated that Maine and other rural states have high addiction rates because they are the markets where the painkillers were first introduced. 

Staff Writer Emma Bouthillette can be contacted at 791-6325 or at: ebouthillette@pressherald.com