JOHNSONVILLE, SC (WBTW)- The Florence County Sheriff’s Office says drug manufacturers are outsmarting the law by altering a drug’s chemical compound and making it technically legal.
Charles Ard says he has a lot of pain. He decided to buy prescription painkillers from his friend instead of going to a pharmacy because he doesn’t have insurance.
Last February, he bought two pills costing $30 each.
“I was expecting it to be a Roxy 30. It was stamped. I even pulled it up on the internet,” said Ard.
Ard took one pill and went to sleep.
“He started making a God awful noise,” said girlfriend Toria Thigpen.
Thigpen woke up at 7 a.m. to find Ard foaming at the mouth and shaking.
“I ain’t never seen somebody twist so many ways like that in my entire life,” she said.
Ard was having a seizure. Thigpen says she immediately called 911.
“They told me if we would’ve waited 30 more minutes, he would’ve been dead.”
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case.
“Anytime you attempt to obtain prescription medication from an illicit source, you never know what you’re getting,” explained Major Mike Nunn.
According to Nunn, officers took the second pill purchased by Ard to the lab to be tested. The alleged Roxycodone turned out to be a synthetic version of THC, 100 times more potent than that found in regular marijuana.
Tthere’s no quality control mechanism for people buying drugs off the street,” said Nunn.
Lt. Mitchell Hansen runs the drug lab for Florence County. He says drug manufacturers will often add ingredients that change the drug’s chemical compound. He’s seen everything from baby laxative to baking soda and the effects on humans vary.
“It can actually be stronger or a little weaker,” said Hansen.
In some cases, it makes the drug legal.
“Any change at all that alters the chemical compound can take a substance from being illegal to legal,” said Nunn. “So we are struggling with the designer aspect of this because it’s so easy for the manufacturers to change the chemical compound ever so slightly.”
The DEA alone has identified 40 different compounds of synthetic cannabanoids, according to Florence RAC Patrick Apel.
Each time DEA discovers a dangerous compound, it’s up to the DHEC to determine if it’s a controlled substance and categorize it. This can be a long process and requires the General Assembly’s approval.
“To have to run to the state legislature every time a new chemical compound is found, it’s very cumbersome,” said Maj. Mike Nunn.
Drug manufacturers take advantage of the lengthy process.
“They’re so far ahead of us that by the time it gets put into law, they’re three steps ahead of us,” explained Hansen.
After six hours in a coma, Charles Ard says he feels lucky to be alive and he won’t be buying anymore prescription drugs off the street.
DHEC does have the authority to make a drug illegal if the General Assembly is not in session, as long as it holds a public hearing. Major Mike Nunn says six people were hospitalized from the same batch of pills that nearly killed Charles Ard. Officers are still investigating.
