The disaster was the "Elixir of Sulfanilimide" tragedy of 1937 in which 107 people were killed as the result of the use of a solvent, diethylene glycol, in a product. Since the law did not require prior testing of drugs for safety, there was no way to anticipate, or prevent, the marketing of this lethal mixture.
Then we come to one of the most abused pharmaceutical drug on the market today with terrible side effects. It’s a relatively new pain medicine called OxyContin. This drug contains a powerful alkaloid derived from opium. It has replaced cocaine, heroin and ecstasy as the number one killer in the State of Florida. People suffering from tremendous pain have become junkies on this drug. OxyContin sales in the year 2000 alone were over a billion dollars. OxyContin is fast becoming the new drug of choice in America. The tablets are manufactured in a time-released delivery system so the mind-altering effects of the opium alkaloid are not experienced by the users. They are designed to deliver painkilling effectiveness for between a 12 and 24 hour period. On the street users either chew the tablets, crush them and snort the powder, or boil down the tablets and inject it intravenously because it bypasses the time-released system and delivers a powerful euphoric, heroin-like punch. Entire towns and neighborhoods are dealing with problems associated with OxyContin. The Roanoke Times ran a story on August 16, 2000 that reported OxyContin to be the worst problem seen in the community. “Tazewell County’s prosecutor has charged more than 150 people in the last year with felonies associated with the addictive painkiller… Tazewell County Commonwealth’s Attorney Dennis Lee called abuse of OxyContin an epidemic… Andy Anderson, a narcotics detective with the Pulaski Police Department, estimated that 90 percent of the people in Pulaski who admit to such crimes as breaking and entering, shoplifting, forgery or stealing checks said they committed the crimes to get money to finance their OxyContin addiction.”
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2000/200_miles.html
http://www.quackwatch.org/13Hx/MM/08.html
Strong's Number: 5332
Transliterated: pharmakeus
Phonetic: far-mak-yoos'
Text: from pharmakon (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); a druggist ("pharmacist") or poisoner, i.e. (by extension) a magician: --sorcerer.
Strong's Number: 5331
Transliterated: pharmakeia
Phonetic: far-mak-i'-ah
Text: from 5332; medication ("pharmacy"), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively): --sorcery, witchcraft.