Police probe cycle star's death
Police are investigating the death of a 26-year-old former WA Institute of Sport cyclist who died from an overdose of the narcotic painkiller OxyContin after allegedly being prescribed 20 tablets of the potentially lethal drug.
Bibra Lake resident Daniel Hall was found dead in July by his mother Monique after taking up to eight of the 80mg painkillers - known in America as "hillbilly heroin" - within 24 hours.
Twenty tablets of the drug had allegedly been prescribed to him two days earlier at a day clinic in Perth's inner suburbs after surgery to remove a benign tumour from his nose, with Mr Hall issued the dose despite having a history of prescription drug abuse.
His father, Track Cycling WA chairman Murray Hall, has pleaded for stricter safeguards in the monitoring of the drug's use after last week's report in _The West Australian _that seven WA doctors were being investigated for over-prescribing narcotic painkillers.
Warnings that "doctor shoppers" were visiting multiple GPs to get drugs to feed their addiction have also been released under a Medicare crackdown, with growing concerns over the distribution of substances such as OxyContin on the black market.
Mr Hall said his son, who had worked on oil rigs for most of the seven years leading up to his death, had been prescribed "a ridiculous quantity and quality of the drug".
Records show Daniel Hall had previously used OxyContin about 18 months before his death during a shoulder reconstruction. He left behind an 18-month-old son.
"He was his own man and he made this decision but we don't believe he set out to kill himself," Mr Hall said.
"It was totally accidental. He just didn't comprehend what he had in his hand."
Ms Hall said her eldest son had arrived home from dropping off a girlfriend on the day of his death, telling her he was hung over and tired.
Two hours later she went to check on him and he was dead.
The pair had previously fought over her concerns about the strength of the pain medication her son had been issued.
Daniel's 21-year-old brother Stephen unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate his sibling after discovering his lifeless body.
An autopsy showed Daniel Hall did not have alcohol, codeine or any other illicit drugs in his system at the time of his death, with police findings expected to be presented to the State Coroner in coming weeks.
OxyContin is a controlled-release form of oxycodone prescribed to treat chronic pain and has restrictions in Australia requiring pharmacists to record its use.
Pharmacy Guild WA branch president Lenette Mullen said a loophole meant pharmacists dispensing a drug such as OxyContin had no way of knowing if the person had used the painkiller before.
The guild is monitoring a trial of real-time reporting of such drugs in Tasmania and the Northern Territory before deciding whether to push for similar measures in WA.
