It was nearly four years ago that Battleland tapped out a cover story for the magazine on the wave of prescription drugs that was helping some troops make it through their deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, or cope with their aftermath after coming home.
The Pentagon has just announced it is expanding its drug screening program to detect the use of hydrocodone, used in many painkillers including Vicodin, Lorcet and Lortabs, as well as benzodiazepines, an antidepressant found in medicines including Xanax and Valium.
Army Times reports that prescription drug abuse among troops is three times higher than among civilians, with ground-pounders – soldiers and Marines – having the highest levels of misuse. From 2002 to 2005, prescription drug misuse in the military doubled, Army Times says, and from 2005 to 2008 it tripled, according to Defense Department data.
Troops have 90 days before the expanded testing starts, Pentagon officials say. Those currently on such medications illicitly, they added, should seek medical help.