Simply because a drug can be obtained from reputable physicians for legitimate medical purposes does not diminish the fact that certain prescription medications can be powerfully addictive and dangerous. There are many fraudulent ways to obtain prescription drugs.

Physicians may inadvertently contribute to a person's addiction by giving that person the benefit of the doubt when he presents a complaint of severe pain that nothing but a narcotic pain reliever will help. That same person may visit other physicians, urgent care clinics, and emergency rooms with similar stories and collect a considerable store of prescription drugs.

Other drastic measures someone might take to obtain prescription drugs are forging prescriptions, stealing or photocopying prescription pads, counterfeiting prescriptions, posing as a physician or office staff when calling a pharmacy ordering a prescription, stealing from doctors' offices, pharmacies, or individuals, buying prescription drugs on the streets, or dealing with dishonest medical personnel.

Federal and state agencies are beginning to work together and are enacting stronger legislation to help curb the illicit use and illegal procurement of prescription drugs. Pharmacists are required to keep more detailed records of all prescriptions they dispense. Patients who require prescription drugs are monitored through computerized records.

Tamper-resistant prescription pads or electronically transmitted prescriptions are now being used. Internet pharmacies and their employees as well as dishonest physicians and health care workers are being targeted for investigation and prosecution if appropriate.