Opioid crisis puts pharmacists on the front line

The ongoing opioid epidemic has put pharmacists in an especially tough position, pulled between patients in dire need of relief and addicts who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the drugs. More than 4 million Americans abuse opioid analgesics, federal data show, fueling a thriving black market. Pharmacists are increasingly called upon to play drug cop—to turn away abusers, to reject phony prescriptions, and to protect their inventory of pills from criminals who see pharmacies as an easy target.