State officials have taken steps in recent weeks to escalate the fight against prescription drug abuse, which law enforcement officers say is a major problem and still on the rise.

The Montana Department of Justice announced plans this week to form a special drug-diversion unit to handle prescription drug abuse cases from across the state.

The unit - which will include three investigators, a prosecutor, and a public outreach and education coordinator - is to be formed as the abuse of prescription drugs begins to rival that of traditional street drugs both statewide and in the Flathead Valley.

More than 40 percent of drug cases handled this year by the state Division of Criminal Investigation relate to prescription drugs, up from only seven percent in 2003.

In Flathead County, prescription drug abuse and prescription drug sales are steadily gaining ground on the use of traditional street drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine.

In one case, detectives tried to arrange an undercover cocaine buy only to find the alleged drug dealer was too high on prescription pain medication to function. Further investigation revealed that the only reason the man was selling cocaine in the first place was to fund his pill habit, according to Russ Papke, Northwest Montana Drug Task Force commander and former diversion officer.

"I would estimate that at least half of the people abusing drugs in this area are using prescription drugs, if not alone then with other illegal substances," Papke said.

Until recently, the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force was the only drug task force in the state to have a full-time prescription drug diversion officer - a position created here in 2004.

"I think it has been happening and getting worse, but people and law enforcement are just starting to pay attention," Papke said.

In 2008, the task force made more than 45 arrests in drug cases involving prescription medication and had about another 50 cases still pending, up from 25 arrests in drug cases involving prescription medication in 2005.

"I know across the state there have been more pill overdoses than any other drug and I believe more than all the other drugs combined," Papke said last year.

More Montana residents now die from prescription drug overdoses than from traffic crashes.

"Without grabbing headlines or gaining the notoriety of other dangerous drugs, over 300 Montanans died last year from the abuse of prescription medications," said Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock. "As a state we need to develop a comprehensive approach to deal with this very real problem, an approach that includes prevention, treatment, and law enforcement."

Nationally, drugs now cause more deaths than traffic crashes in 16 states, according to government data.

While cocaine and heroin continue to be significant killers, experts attribute most of the increase to a rise in the abuse of powerful prescription opiates.

More than 4 million people across the United States used prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes for the first time in 2008, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and an attitude tracking survey by the Partnership for a Drug Free America.

Most often abused in Flathead County are powerful painkillers such as hydrocodone and oxycodone (which are sold under names such as Oxycontin, Lortab and Vicodin), morphine, methadone, fentanyl, diazepam and, to a lesser extent, anti-psychotic medicine.

Last month, Bullock convened an advisory council of doctors, pharmacists, prosecutors, judges, student leaders, legislators, and police officers to help fight prescription drug fraud and abuse.

"While prescription drug abuse isn't something we talk about at the dinner table, it's quietly killing hundreds of Montanans every year and, through addiction, it's destroying the lives of thousands more," Bullock said.

The group's purpose is to "identify what the problem is and then formulate a plan to address the issue," said Papke, a member of advisory council.

The council has discussed increasing emphasis on enforcement efforts, such as the statewide diversion unit, and education, Papke said.

Montana will fund its new prescription drug diversion unit, which is expected to operate in the Flathead Valley, with a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Educating the public, especially youths, to the dangers of prescription-drug abuse should be a priority, Papke said.

With 9.6 percent of teens reporting abuse in the past year, Montana ranks third in the nation for teen abuse of prescription pain relievers, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and an attitude tracking survey by the Partnership for a Drug Free America.

And only 24 percent of parents have spoken with their children about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, the survey found.

"Pills are really popular with the 25-and-under crowd," Papke said. "I think one of the biggest problems is their availability."

Education efforts could go a long way to changing public perception about prescription drug abuse, which is not simply the pilfering of a pill or two from a family member's one-time prescription, Papke said.

"Those drugs are just as dangerous as any other drug out there," said Papke, observing that users often crush pills and snort them or inject them intravenously. "And those dealers are no different than any other drug dealer. It's a big business."

The council also is proposing legislation to help combat the problem, including a drug monitoring program that would allow doctors and pharmacists to see a patient's prescription history before prescribing or filling one for new medication. Montana is only one of 10 states that doesn't have a statewide database for that purpose, Papke said.

"It wouldn't eliminate it, but it would make a lot of difference," he said.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com