America's pharmacies are under assault by desperate junkies willing to do anything for their next Oxycontin fix! If you went to high school in small-town America, this is old news; you almost certainly know at least one guy who was doing this way before it was a New York Times-certified trend. Wherever there is an assured supply of opiates, so too will there be a screwdriver-wielding mullet-sporter willing to menace a Rite Aid employee in order to get some of those opiates. But now, it must be admitted, the crimes are costing our nation's pharmacies a bit of their traditional charm:

Many have upgraded their surveillance cameras; some have installed bulletproof glass and counters high enough to keep would-be robbers from jumping them, giving these pharmacies the aesthetic of an urban liquor store. In Tulsa, Okla., where there was a steep increase in drugstore robberies last year, at least one pharmacist now requires customers to be buzzed in the door.

Pharmacies might as well start selling blunts, looseys, and half pints of Hennessy. We can all see where this is going.

[NYT. Photo: Pat Hawks]