he doesn't even take oxycontin. these are not his prescriptions. police say a criminal forged them writing lambert's personal information on stolen prescription pads. it's a relatively new crime called medical identity theft that claimed 300,000 victims last year. >> people are going out there and they are using your social security number and getting medical services as if they were you and then accessing your insurance. >> reporter: mr. lambert first noticed something wrong when went to the walgreens website to check his prescription history. >> this is the first one that came to my attention. >> reporter: he discovered three prescriptions for the powerful drug. >> it's very scary. >> reporter: all three were filled and picked up at walgreen stores in san francisco and modesto and not by lambert. >> walgreens is giving high- powered drugs out that are readily available underground to a total stranger. >> reporter: the total cost, about $3,000 all billed to lambert's insurance carrier. a doctor former president of the california pharmacists associ

going to be the interface usually is the clerk at the front counter. >> reporter: so where's the oxycontinrobably long gone. >> 50 bucks a tablet on the street. so it's worth a lot of money to some people. >> reporter: wallgreens tells cbs 5 the pharmacy workers who filled the fraudulent prescription didn't see reason for concern at the time but there is some recourse. the chain says customers can have their accounts flagged so anyone picking up prescriptions in their name has to show identification. joe vazquez, cbs 5 consumerwatch. >> we contacted the doctors whose names are on the stolen prescription. all of them filed police reports. one is now using electronic prescription pads and printing out each prescription individually. i should tell you the story came our way through our consumerwatch hotline. if you have a problem or concern, call us at 1-888-5- helps-u. >>> and we'll be right back. a crosswalk crisis. ,, [ female announcer ] get extra savings at the jcpenney appreciation sale. save an extra 15% on all regular, sale, and clearance items. everything, no exclusions! save on ever

for medical students on how to prescribe that you cannot prescribe methadone like you prescribe oxycontin or other drugs. and then also more attention through mark's organization on more training, more education, more best practices for narcotic treatment programs. so in a way i think they've made a significant contribution in helping us raise the standards and look at some places maybe we needed to address. and lisa, in terms of the patients who are using methadone, what are their areas of responsibility on how to safeguard their own safety as well as the safety of others in the use of methadone. well, if you're taking a medication you need to know about that medication. but certainly you would have demonstrated a responsibility in maintaining that medication in a safe and secure environment so that it would not be child accessible, for example. but also, i think we all have an obligation to be informed about what some of the issues are and to get involved so that our image is not distorted by others so that we're representing ourselves. just for an example, the press typically perpetuat

in from mr george soros actually we don't have an excuse excuse me unlike you who gets funded by oxycontin companies we actually don't receive a dime from mr soros not a dime if you do farmers sir john i'm sorry going to get employed great just not the plug age or the dangers of prescription drugs and the use of prescription drugs ok or do has no fight with you but if you want to attack me and my dad sign anywhere any time i'm not looking to attack you i'm just simply saying if you're saying that people who you could ask what you want to attack me about my my my relationship with purdue pharma how about you know the pharmaceutical companies are reeling from the deaths of kids all over america trying to do something about it and they're giving me my so i can go out educate them and bending the learning system and and other things ok so you want to talk about the legalization movement i do or saw it or list they spent one hundred million dollars serve not with us andras not it's the bottom line about it caught let's let's talk about avarice going to be taken back by i did very well i know yo

we try to determine how much opiate, whether it's heroin or oxycontin, the patient is using. and depending on whether or not they've ever been challenged with methadone before, we start with a very low dose and then gradually take them up until they reach the so-called "blocking dose" where they feel comfortable. the patients, all of them who have actually been here for a while, look forward to what they call take-home opportunities, and that means that patients becomes stable. the tests that we do, the urine tests, as a way that we exercise surveillance to make sure that they're not using other drugs. it works for me because i get two bottles for the weekend. so basically weekends i do not have to come up here, you know. and i just keep it. i've got a lock box that i keep it locked and stored away from everybody. from the beginnings of take-homes in washington, dc, i have had them- i've had them at the maximum allowed and now i get 27 days. so i come in once a month. and it's wonderful. i mean, you know, i can travel, i can go to my beach house in the summertime without havi

now, a lot of the drugs that are being abused, oxycontin, vicodin, percocet, officials are aware, they, it has been increasing over the years. and now the federal drug czar has a new plan to attack it. laura in. >>. >> i would imagine pharmacies can take your ole prescriptions as well and dispose of them. thank you. >>> more live pictures of the gulf this morning. we expect major changes for bp coming up later on today. there are reports that its controversial ceo tony hayward is on his way out. charles hadlock is live in venice, louisiana, this morning. he has the latest on what is going on there. charles? >> reporter: good morning, brent. bp's board of directors is meeting in london tonight to discuss the fate of tony hayward, the embattled ceo. that's just ahead of the earnings report expected to be released tomorrow that will show the greatest loss of earnings in bp's history. they have some huge liabilities on the books this quarter. it is expected that hayward may be present at the earnings meeting tomorrow to guide them through the numbers. but here in the gulf of mexico, work i

ten years ago people were saying that about oxycontin. the same goes for adderle and ritalin.ictive. if you're a person prone to addiction, you have to be really careful about being on those drugs. i don't even take ambien as a person that's clean and sober. it's a slippery slope. >> we wish her luck. >>> 7:37 right now. speaking of 737s -- >> oh, very good, pilot. thank you very much, dave. >>> up next, the headache of checking your bags. we have tips on how to avoid the hassle and save money. you're watching "the early show" right here on cbs. ( chirping, music ) ♪ pop-tarts®! i'll have a frosted strawberry... as an ice cream sandwich. ♪ chocolate fudge... on a stick please! ( crunch ) with the endless possibilities of kellogg's® pop-tarts, it's sure to be a picture perfect summer. pop-tarts®. made for fun. whiten your smile. no red wine. i've got it. ♪ [ female announcer ] new crest 3d white toothpaste removes up to 80% of surface stains in just two weeks. what did i tell ya. [ female announcer ] new crest 3d white toothpaste. requires a little magic from mom. [ kids ] whoa

as a physician who knows something about the medicaid program, i was also involved in the oxycontin suitnd prevailed with a new form of addiction. i was part of a million dollars settlement which was illegally diverted. half a billion dollars was supposed to be set up to pay for the victims foundation. as a physician, i know the cost of repeated tests for people who are essentially chemically dependent, as well as disability costs, probably equal 25% of the budget. how much do you congress have gone ahead and instituted some sort of addiction program, physician training, what percentage of the cost of medicaid -- and the medicare -- from disability can be reduced? i am involved in a special investigation with the department of justice. so much of this money was illegally diverted to politicians' campaigns. [applause] that is -- guest: that is a complicated question. drug use and pain management are complicated questions. could congress have done more? i think they are struggling with doing less. pain management, that is one issue. the economy is another. to be honest, i am not specific w

these are being considered as potential alternatives to oxycontin and morphine and things we know now have a very obvious risks, especially when they are is used. it is that unless something the agency is looking at. -- it is definitely something the agency is looking at. host: which federal agency it overlooks the fda? guest: hhs. host: next call. caller: this the fda get involved in procedures like acupuncture, because it has never been proved to be effective? if not, who does that? second, i see a lot programs on tv -- i see a lot of programs on tv or books being sold about alzheimer's and things like that, and how are they able to sell that on tv? the third question i have is what is the difference of opinion of unbiased experts, not people like me who have no clue, but unbiased experts on how sick or less that you should be? host: acupuncture? guest: not something the fda regulates three certainly something they are aware of, but not something they have control over. host: advertising? guest: as far as advertising goes, the mission is to prevent products that are drugs or have dr