Victim's kin: Stop prescription drug abuse

The following is a statement released Thursday afternoon by the family of Jaime Taccetta:

"On behalf of all four victims and our families, we would like to first express our sincere appreciation for the diligent efforts of the Suffolk County Police Department that resulted in their expeditious apprehension of Mr. Laffer. Our communities may rest easier now that he has been removed from our streets.

"And as was evidenced by the appearance of such experienced and professional prosecutors as Mr. Collins and Mr. Chalifoux at this morning's arraignment, we have every confidence that the defendant will be effectively prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. He deserves a fair trial by a jury of his peers, and he will get one.

Although nothing we or anyone else can say or do will ever bring back the mother of my two young nieces or any of the other innocent victims of this heinous crime, we are compelled to note that this issue is exponentially greater than the personal addictions of David Laffer and his kind.

The widespread proliferation of prescription painkiller abuse is fast becoming a national tragedy. It's already a tragedy for us. It must be and it can be stopped, or at least significantly curtailed if we all do our part.

Toward that end we call upon the justifiably outraged public to focus that outrage where it will do the most good. We all need to pressure our legislators to introduce and pass legislation designed to curb the widespread abuse of these dangerously addictive prescription medications.

And while that legislation is pending we call upon the entire medical community, especially the doctors who so readily prescribe these meds to their patients with what must be at times insufficient consideration of the consequences. We implore them to stop . . . take pause and maybe think just a little deeper before grabbing the script pad and possibly contributing to tragedies such as this. And to those same doctors we ask that they JUST SAY NO to the monetary incentives . . . yes, kickbacks . . . offered by unscrupulous drug companies that are anxious for those doctors to push these drugs upon an unsuspecting public. To the doctors who are watching or reading this . . . you know exactly what I'm referring to here! Please . . . take the time to think about the consequences of your actions . . . and heed your oath to "do no harm."

And we ask the pharmacies across the nation to follow the example of those who have voluntarily chosen to ban these prescription drugs from their inventories, and do the same.

To the public we ask that you consider boycotting those pharmacies that refuse to implement such a ban.

As I said before, nothing will ever bring back the lives of these innocent victims, but if we all do our part, no matter how seemingly insignificant it may be . . . then maybe, just maybe . . . we can avert another tragedy of this magnitude. Please remember . . . the next victim may be someone YOU love.

Thank you.

Ray Malone

(Brother of Jaime Taccetta's ex-husband)