In a report published December 8, 2016, the CDC said that in 2015, heroin deaths spiked by more than 2,000 cases since 2014, resulting in a sad milestone: There were more heroin-related deaths that year than gun homicides. As recently as 2007, gun homicides outnumbered heroin deaths by more than 5 to 1. [1]
Source: The Washington Post
When you hear about prescription drug overdoses, you tend to think about opioid painkillers. But you may be surprised to find out that deadly overdoses from anti-anxiety drugs are on the rise, leaving many mental health professionals wondering what is causing the increase.
America’s ongoing opioid crisis is no secret. With thousands dying from prescription painkiller overdoses each year — nearly as many as traffic deaths — even the U.S. government has been forced to take action. As awareness of the epidemic continues to grow, further hazards of the pharmaceutical class of drugs are being revealed — including potentially higher numbers of deaths caused by their use.
Corporal Mark Hickok, a 23-year-old combat engineer from North Olmstead, Ohio, patrols through a poppy field during a clearing mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. John M. McCall)
There's a lot more to the story than we're being told.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released the nations first-ever “Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health” on November 16 that includes both alarming statistics and a plan to fix the nation’s opioid crisis. [1]
Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General. Source: Salon.com
A study published on September 15 shows that in states where medical marijuana is legal, fewer people use opioid drugs, bolstering advocates’ claims that marijuana can substitute for more deadly substances. [1]
Researchers examined federal traffic safety data from 1999 to 2013, using a sample of more than 68,000 people who died in a car crash in 18 states.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced earlier this month that the agency is launching a contest to create the best app designed to reduce the number of people who die every year from overdosing on opioid painkillers.
Scientists have created a new opioid compound that’s as effective at killing pain as morphine, but without the side effects. It could mean thousands fewer people becoming addicted to prescription pain medication in the future. But untold effects are questionable, as it is modified by man.
The finding represents a turning point in the way scientists have traditionally tried to handle opiate addiction and overdoses.
