Oklahoma Pharmacies Distributed Millions Of Pain Medication In 6 Year Period

Some pharmacies in Oklahoma gave out millions of pills through prescriptions in a six-year period from 2006 to 2012.

Tulsa distributed the most pain pills at 275 million.              

The number one pharmacy for distribution was Spoon Drug in Sand Springs. They distributed more than seven million pills over the six years.            

"Been advised not to comment until litigation is finished," said one of their managers.              

The owner of CCC Pharmacy in Rogers County said their high numbers are because they are one of the largest hospice pharmacies in the state. He said the majority of their pain pills go to 2,000 terminally ill patients with cancer.             

Related Story - Opioid Trial: Oklahoma and Johnson & Johnson Rest Cases

The manager City Drug of Coweta in Wagoner County wouldn't speak to News On 6. A pharmacy tech said they had "no comment."            

Mayes County's Beggs Pharmacy also said "no comment," but said they fill the highest volume of prescriptions in the county.             

Economy and Economy Discount pharmacies were numbers one and two on Muskogee County's list. The owner hasn't commented on distribution yet. 

It's worth noting as we wait for a Cleveland County judge to rule in the state's opioid trial against drug maker Johnson & Johnson, that the drug maker was not listed as a top five manufacturer for the state. However, this database was strictly for pain pills, and the state's case against Johnson & Johnson focused heavily on their pain patch.

Walgreen's and Walmart Pharmacy were both frequently listed in many of the counties.

Walmart said they would work on a statement.

Walgreen's released the following statement:

Walgreens pharmacists are highly trained professionals committed to dispensing legitimate prescriptions that meet the needs of our patients. Walgreens has not distributed prescription controlled substances since 2014 and before that time only distributed to our chain of pharmacies. Walgreens has been an industry leader in combatting this crisis in the communities where our pharmacists live and work.

To check out the pain pill numbers in your county, you can use the Washington Post database by clicking here.