North Carolina county confiscates more than 4,000 prescription pills in 2010

Officials from the Burke County Narcotics Task Force recently announced that they seized 4,408 prescription pills throughout 2010, reports The News Herald.

Law enforcement officials from Burke County, North Carolina reported seizing nearly 3,000 more prescription pills 2010 than in 2009.

Officials told the news source that Hydrocondone was the most common drug found by officers, while Oxycontin was second.

Law enforcement officials noted that drug buyers are using a method called "doctor shopping," where they seek physicians who will easily prescribe pain medication. From there, they sell a $15 Oxycontin pill for $70 to $80 on the black market, which represents a 400 percent mark up.

This is not an isolated incident. Many counties in Florida are struggling with doctors who irresponsibly prescribe pain medication, which which eventually reaches the hands of children and teens.

Programs for troubled teens can help adolescents who suffer from opiate addiction from using prescription medication such as Vicodin or Oxycontin.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 10 percent of students in 12th grade have abused Vicodin in the year prior to the study.