ABINGDON � As demonstrators gathered outside, victims of OxyContin came from all over the nation to speak their mind at Friday�s sentencing hearing � and tell Purdue executives exactly what they think of them.

Here are some of their stories.

• Teresa Ashcraft, who lost a 19-year-old son to OxyContin, came from Florida to refute the claims of corporate spokesman, who she says blamed the victims for the drug�s effects. "Our children were not addicts. They were just regular teenagers," Ashcraft said at the sentencing hearing for Purdue Pharma executives. "We have been given a life sentence due to their lies and their greed."
• Donnie Trent, of Lee County, said he is a recovering addict who tried the drug and then struggled with addiction for five years. He said money needs to be spent on treatment, "because jails are not the answer to addiction."
• Ed Vanicky, of Georgia, said he lost his wife to OxyContin. "She had been taking OxyContin as prescribed for five months, and it killed her," he said, while Purdue executives "sat in their plush Stamford, Conn., offices watching the money roll in."
• Lee Nuss, of Florida, showed the court an urn that contained the ashes of her only son, whose college fund ended up paying for his funeral. She said the death was part of a "legal genocide" of the nation�s youth and said in her opinion Purdue is "nothing more than a large corporate drug cartel."
• Marianne Skolek spoke about her 29-year-old daughter Jill, who was prescribed OxyContin in January of 2002 and died in April of that year, leaving a young son behind. She called the executives "sheer evil."
• Victor and Theresa Del Regno are a South Kingstown, R.I., couple who lost their son Andrew to an OxyContin overdose in 2002. Andrew was a college student who tried the drug at a party. "It will allow us to move on," Victor Del Regno said of Friday�s sentencing. It was "Bittersweet," he said, "but at least there was some justice."
   
  MY testimony which I had to shorten due to time restraints.

  My name is Ed Bisch.

   

  The first time I heard the word oxycontin, my 18 yr old ,honor student son was DEAD from it after taking it at a party.

   

  I started a website to warn kids about this drug

   

  Soon Purdue contacted ME

   

  I told  purdue  that a lot of the death and addiction stories I am getting through my website  are from patients.

   

  Their  response was �Less than 1% of patients get addicted�  which was a LIE

   

  They  also said that there is a study - PSEUDO ADDICTION where if a patient is not receiving a high enough dose they will exhibit all the symptoms of an addict but all they really need is a higher dose. The sales force also used this story on doctors but they did not even know the whole theory was based on a single patient

   

   

  I have met the three criminals before. I was at the first congressional hearing on oxycontin. There it came out that Purdue knew of all the top prescribing doctors even those who went off the charts. When asked at the time why they did not report these TOP prescribers. They took the 5^th amendment. At a later trial a purdue lawyer responded to this same question with PURDUE was under no legal obligation to report these top prescribers�.. which by the way Purdue referred to them as WHALES but I call them PILL MILL DOCTORS.

   

  For these 3 men to claim it was only a few rogue individuals guilty of the crimes is ludicrous. Purdue painted themselves as champions of chronic pain patients and I am sure you will hear from some of them today with SEVERE injuries and it. BUT in fact Purdue was spending hundreds of millions of dollars on marketing this heroin like drug for moderate pain.

   

  In the summer of 2001 oxycontin was front page news and there were congressional hearings scheduled for the fall on this rising epidemic.which by the way PURDUE WAS DENYING EXISTED.

   

  I was optimistic that something concrete would be done to stop the death and destruction that was occurring. Unfortunately on 9/11/2001 everything changed and the oxycontin epidemic was no longer a priority and understandably so.

   

  I dare to say that I was even shocked to later learn that on 9/12/2001. While the twin towers were still burning.Purdue�s VP of sales sent a voice mail to all sales reps saying

   

   since the media was focused on the attacks it would be a great opportunity to see our top prescribers to really push OxyContin to get more business

   

  Through my website oxyabusekills.com I have received thousands of  death and addiction stories and anyone can read them in my guestbook.

   

   

  Please do not  allow this plea bargain to proceed these CRIMINALS deserve jail time.

   

  The lies and deceit started at the top and have cost or ruined COUNTLESS LIVES.