What a grim story to read the day after Memorial Day: The problem of stolen opioid and other drugs remains a serious and growing one at our nation’s hospitals and clinics for military veterans.

Coloradans well know that such thefts, also called drug diversions, can lead to frightening situations in which patients face infections from those stealing the drugs. Drug diversions have troubled Colorado private hospitals in recent years. In addition to infection risks, patients recovering from surgery and otherwise dealing with extreme pain are left to suffer as a result of a thief’s search for a fix.

Veterans hospitals are seeing the problem in much greater numbers. The Associated Press has found that the rate of stolen drugs from Veterans Affairs hospitals is twice what occurs in private facilities. Federal officials say the VA’s large stockpiles of drugs and high volume of patients at its facilities contribute to the problem. As Jeffrey Hughes, the acting VA assistant inspector general for investigations, told The AP, “Veterans may be denied necessary medications or their proper dosage and medical records may contain false information to hide the diversion, further putting veterans’ health at risk.”

Read more at The Denver Post.