COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
Spend an afternoon in Dr. Monnie Singleton's office and you'll hear stories like David Wise's:
"[It] got to where pain pills were hard to find so I went to heroin," said Wise.
Or Kevin Turner's story:
"Broke my back," said Turner. "Being prescribed medication then oxycontin came along."
They became addicted to something that began in the most legal of ways.
"Once that prescription has been written and it's filled at the pharmacy then we many times lose control over that," said Regina Erwin.
It's Erwin's job to make sure pain pills are used by the people who really need them. She leads a group of 12 DHEC pharmacists who are trained with other law enforcement officers.
They are drug inspectors stationed throughout the state.
Every drug in their evidence closet has a story. They work off tips.
"Sometimes it's from an angry neighbor, sometimes it's from an angry spouse," said Erwin. "Sometimes it's from a loving family member who's genuinely concerned."
Another way the plain clothes officers get clued in is by combing through pharmacy logs of who was prescribed what by whom and how often. That way they can monitor the prescribers and the addicts.
Erwin's job combines criminal justice with science.
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Prescription drugs confiscated by DHEC investigators
