Prescription Drugs Kill One Person Every 19 Minutes
Prescription drugs kill one person every 19 minutes – The Quiet Epidemic: prescription drug abuse destroys millions of lives Nancy Rosen-Cohen The Baltimore Sun There isn’t much attention paid to prescription drug abuse, except perhaps when a Hollywood star dies from an overdose. However, it is estimated that nearly one in five Americans has used prescription drugs for nonmedicinal reasons, and 15 percent may be abusing prescription drugs. This silent epidemic has become the leading cause of addiction. This week, the Maryland Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the University of Maryland Medical Center sponsored the annual Tuerk Conference, a gathering of 1200 health professionals working in the field of addictions to focus on treatment and prevention of prescription drug abuse. Confronting and debunking the common myth that prescription drugs are less deadly and less addictive was one of the items on the agenda. The dangers of prescription drug abuse are growing at an exponential rate. Between 1992 and 2002, the number of prescriptions written increased by 61 percent, but the number of prescriptions written for opiates increased by almost 400 percent. Opiates reflect three-quarters of all prescription drugs abused. Actor Heath Ledger had Vicodin (hydrocodone), OxyContin (oxycodone), Valium (diazepam), and Xanax (alprazolam) in his bloodstream when he died. All are legal opiates. According to a report this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for …
Prescription drug abuse on the rise in North Carolina
Filed under: prescription drug abuse
… carries a stiffer sentence that being caught with marijuana or cocaine. and why is that? State Attorney Roy Cooper stated that there has been an increase of over 400 percent in hospital admissions for prescription drug abuse over the past ten years.
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Conway touts Ky. crackdown on prescription abuse
Filed under: prescription drug abuse
Conway briefed the National Governor's Association Policy Academy on Reducing Prescription Drug Abuse on Tuesday about Kentucky's efforts via a video link from the Capitol. In particular, Conway touted a law passed by the Legislature last year that has …
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Local police expand roles in drug war
Filed under: prescription drug abuse
Prescription drug abuse has been an intractable problem in Massachusetts for years, and State Police spokesman David Procopio said the agency was reluctant to eliminate the unit. But the expansion of the monitoring program to local law enforcement …
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From Twitter:
Prescription & Illegal Drug Abuse Awareness… Community Action Network
Please take a moment to review and respond to …http://t.co/GpF5Yv5P – by MrAsands (RASANDS)
From Twitter:
RT @KnowAddiction: Alcohol Abuse Vs. Prescription Drug Abuse by the Numbers | Your Thoughts? | Read More – http://t.co/PXjtkaRS – by drugsreport (Drugs Report)
From Twitter:
RT @holysmoke: ‘You may have to suffer a bit’: a new solution for prescription drug abuse – taking painkillers away from the poor http:/ … – by WatchdogScr (WatchDog)