HUNTINGTON -- In Joe McGlothlin's career as a pharmacist, he's had both a gun and knife pulled on him. It's something he never imagined happening when he was in pharmacy school.

But pharmacies are increasingly becoming the targets of robbers, both across the state and in Huntington in particular, according to Sgt. Michael Baylous, drug diversion unit supervisor with the West Virginia State Police. A string of armed robberies in the Huntington area during January and February included a number of drug stores -- some that have been robbed multiple times.

Pharmacists, educators and others are increasingly looking for ways to prevent robberies and make pharmacies safer.

McGlothlin, owner of The Medicine Shoppe, said today's pharmacy students seem more aware of the dangers, but aren't deterred from the field.

"This has always been an accepted risk of the job," he said.

Cpl M.T. Smith, who formerly worked with the drug diversion units, said drug trends have increased the number of robberies. Robberies of painkillers like Vicodin and Lortab increase as they become easier to obtain than other drugs and demand for them rises. He said more people turn to robbery to fulfill addictions or make money selling the drugs.

Some say safety is a factor in where pharmacists choose to work.

"It clearly does affect pharmacists willing to take positions in certain areas," said Dr. Michael O'Neil, associate professor at the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy and an expert in prescription drug diversion and abuse.

Positions in poorer, higher-crime areas may be harder to fill because those pharmacies are more likely to be robbed, O'Neil said.

Purdue Pharma has developed tools to help pharmacists and law enforcement with these issues, including a pharmacy security checklist at rxpatrol.org. Various alarms, physical barriers and locks are among the items on the list.

The RxPatrol program (sponsored by Purdue Pharma) began in 2003 and is the first national pharmacy crime database, according to Aaron Graham, Purdue's vice president of corporate security and chief security officer.

Graham said the database, also at rxpatrol.org, allows pharmacists and police to know what's happening in their community and elsewhere.

More than 3,600 incidents of pharmacy crime, including more than 800 robberies, have been reported using the database since 2003, he said.

Purdue also has partnered with Crime Stoppers, a program that offers cash rewards for information that helps law enforcement solve pharmacy-related crimes.

Smith said he's not sure what other changes could or should be made to protect pharmacists, but he said there may be a day when prescriptions are locked up or when all pharmacists work behind bulletproof glass.

O'Neil said pharmacist safety is being addressed in school and training. He said pharmacists are required to have so many hours of continuing education credits each year, and often that training includes safety issues.

The University of Charleston also offers an elective course in the prevention and education of drug diversion and substance abuse, which addresses safety issues, he said.

But there's only so much that can be taught, he said, like discussion of alarm systems and how to act during a robbery.

McGlothlin said robberies have been occurring for years, and most pharmacy staffs follow similar precautions. Protecting pharmacists as they enter and exit The Medicine Shoppe is a top priority, he said.

"We've got different ways out of here that help protect us and we've got places well lit and good cameras," he said.

Once a robbery occurs inside the store, though, there's not a whole lot pharmacists can do, McGlothlin said.

"You basically just tell your people that if someone comes in with a gun during a robbery, give them what they want. Don't do anything to aggravate them," he said.

McGlothlin said the only other thing that could be done to protect pharmacies would be having a security person in each. He said there's no way an independent pharmacy like The Medicine Shoppe can afford to do that.

"We're kind of on our own with this. There's really not a whole lot you can do other than have cameras and try to protect your employees as much as possible," he said.

AP Video