Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION  Prescription for disaster
Misuse use of legal drugs manifests in stealing, addiction, even
death    • Print  The absolute worst thing, Jerry admitted, was
stealing painkillers from the terminally ill.  He lived in a
small town in southern Manitoba, so it wasn't hard to find a
cancer patient. He'd scope their house, like a thief, and wait
for them to leave -- if they could.  "It's very sick and
twisted," the 29-year-old confessed.  Wait. You'd steal drugs
from people who were dying? Who needed that medication to ease
their pain?  Jerry didn't blink.  "No problem," he said.
"There's no end to what you'll do as an addict. The things I've
done... it's crazy."  Jerry isn't a common thief. At least, he
wasn't until undergoing hip surgery a few years back. Doctors
gave him Percocet at first, and it worked like a seducing charm.
Soon he was gobbling hydromorphone pills.  "It was a better
buzz," he said.  His doctor got wise to Jerry's addiction and
refused to up his dosage. Didn'