PRESCRIPTION drug addiction is suspected to be a ''huge'' problem in Canberra but there is no way of measuring it, an expert says.
Michael Tedeschi, a senior specialist with ACT Health's drug and alcohol program, said prescription drugs were freely available on the black market.
''Our patients tell us that 'the Canberra streets are awash' with these drugs that they're easy to fetch and they're easy to acquire,'' he said. ''We have 500 patients on methadone or buprenorphine. A majority of my patients tell me that at some stage they have bought prescribed opioids on the street ... but they are quite expensive.''
Anecdotal evidence indicates 100mg of MS Contin, a morphine pill with the street name ''grey nurse'', sells for between $80 and $100 a tablet.
Health-care card holders can buy a packet of 20 pills for $5.30.
For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times