Grandma the Drug Dealer

Bringing to light a trend with interesting implications is one of the most important things a reporter can do. Roger Alford of the Associated Press succeeds in doing this through his story, "More Elderly in Appalachia Charged with Selling Drugs." Alford found that a growing number of senior citizens, desperate for money, are illegally selling prescription drugs such as OxyContin to addicts and ending up in jail. To examine the reasons behind this surge, he talks with doctors, pastors, detectives and jailers along with researchers who suspect the problem is not confined to Appalachia. Alford's lead is a real gem: "After being fingerprinted and photographed, 87-year-old Dottie Neeley sat quietly in the local jail, imprisoned as much by the tubing from her oxygen tank as the concrete and steel surrounding her."
http://messenger-inquirer.com/news/kentucky/9213780.htm