- http://www.invw.org/post/some-solutions-for-ending-1250
- http://kcts9.org/prescription-for-abuse
- http://www.invw.org/content/drug-companies-fight-take-back
- http://www.invw.org/content/how-addiction-nearly-killed-justine
Provide names of other journalists involved.
Carol Smith of InvestigateWest was the lead reporter and writer. Ethan Morris, executive producer at KCTS-9, produced the broadcast television version. Stephanie Schendel, intern for InvestigateWest, contributed a feature and some reporting on follow-ups.
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
This work was published January 22, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
This project included a set of reports on the causes of and human costs of prescription drug addiction in Washington State. The project is the result of a six-month investigation led by InvestigateWest’s Carol Smith into the origins of the epidemic,the previously undisclosed role of aggressive marketing by Big Pharma companies in changing prescribing habits, the challenges the epidemic poses for communities going forward, and what lessons other states might learn. Prescription pain medications kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined, and in a pill-happy culture, the trend shows few signs of reversing. Washington State has been at the epicenter of the epidemic. The state’s residents are among the highest consumers of prescription pain meds in the country. They are also dying from prescription overdoses at a rate of two people a day, one of the highest rates in the nation. At the beginning of 2012, the strictest prescribing law in the country went into effect in Washington state. But Smith’s reporting revealed the significant loopholes created by the law and the challenges those presented to public health experts as well as some potential solutions.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
This work drew on dozens of interviews with doctors, addictions specialists, patients, addicts, public health experts, federal drug enforcement officers and state regulators. It required an analysis of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration database on prescription sales in Washington and a FOIA for additional data from previous years. In addition, I FOIA’d the top 20 Medicaid prescribers and cross-referenced them with disiplinary records. I reviewed dozen of disiplinary cases from the state Medical Quality Assurance Commission. I also looked at the financial documents of the patient advocacy group that was lobbying against laws intended to curb prescriptions and disclosed for the first time (in our state) its funding by the makers of the major opioids covered under the law.
Explain types of human sources used.
see above.
Results:
After our stories, and those by other media — most notaby including ProPublica — the Senate Finance Committee launched an inquiry into financial ties between producers of prescription painkillers and the doctors and patient advocacy groups that help to set guidelines for drug useThe manufacturers of OxyContin, Percocet, and Duragesic were among the targets of the inquiry. The American Pain Foundation closed after receiving letters asking for information about ties to drug makers. The investigation comes amidst the increasing number of prescription drug overdoses that InvestigateWest reported on in January.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
see above. No corrections.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
This was a story about a complex problem with complex root causes. The trap is to look for a single reason, or scapegoat, to explain a trend. We sought to provide a more nuanced, broad look at a problem in order to help better inform the public and policy makers as they grappled with this major public health problem.