Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week


September 18 – 24 is recognized as Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week.  In the United States, there has been a significant human toll caused by the rampant use of opioids and heroin.  Opioids are drugs that specifically target the nervous system to relieve pain.  However, ongoing usage of opioids can lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms.  It is estimated that up to 80% of the global opioid supply are consumed in the United States.  Globally, pain drugs are the second largest pharmaceutical class, following cancer medicines.


On average in the United States, approximately 308 people die each week from a prescription pain pill overdose according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  In 2014, about 28,000 people in the U.S. died from a prescription pain killer overdose.


Facts about Opioid usage in the United States:

* According to Chuck Rosenberg, acting administrator for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), more than 46,000 people die every year from a drug overdose.  Over half of those deaths are opioid-related.

* Most first-time abusers of pain killers obtain them from a friend or relative.

* Nearly all people who use heroin also use at least one other drug.

* Each day, 44 people die from an overdose of prescription pain killers.

* Approximately 2 million people have an opioid addiction.

* Nearly 3 in 5 adults take a prescription drug.

* 52 million people over the age of 12, have used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in their lifetime.


Sources:

“A Glimpse Into the Human Toll of Opioid Addiction,” by Charlotte Cuthbertson. The Epoch Times. September 29 – October 5, 2016.


“Americans consume vast majority of the world’s opioids,” by Dina Gusovsky. www.cnbc.com. April 27, 2016.

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