Introduction to Pharm Parties

Pharming parties (also called pharm parties) is a get-together where prescription drugs are exchanged and randomly ingested, in order to become intoxicated. The earliest mention of such parties appears to have been in the March 8, 2002, issue of the newspaper Public Opinion (Chambersburg, PA), which said this was occurring “in some communities”.

What is a pharm party?

The term “pharm” comes from pharmaceuticals. The potentially deadly mixtures include drugs like Xanax, a powerful tranquilizer, powerful painkillers such as Vicodin and Oxycontin, and psychotropic drugs such as Zoloft, Prozac, and Wellbutrin. In most instances, various drugs are mixed together to create power concoctions known as “trail mix”. The various combinations or “recipes” are found on Internet sites with some sites being so simplistic they simply refer to the pills by color. They are typically served up in large bowls or baggies that the hostess hands out to guests much like drinks are handed out at a cocktail party.

Where do the drugs come from?

Drug inventories for the parties are either brought by guests from their medicine cabinets (called pharming) or purchased over the Internet from online pharmacies. These pharmacies or “pill mills” are selling prescription drugs freely on the Internet. Pharm parties are “simply everyone pooling whatever pills they have together and having a good time on a Saturday night. Kids … don’t think about the consequences.” On the heels of the DEA report, results from the 2005 Partnership for a Drug-Free America survey shows that three in five youths have free unmonitored access to prescription pain killers via the family home.

Increased Popularity

Pharming parties are becoming so popular the word “pharming” has become a familiar term used on Internet chat sites. Many kids believe these prescription drugs to be less dangerous because they are “prescribed by a doctor”. From the television ad campaigns selling anti-depressant medications, to the Internet and family medicine cabinet the availability of prescription drugs is an epidemic that has the potential to far exceed the devastation society is being faced with already through illegal drug use in the U.S.