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 …
.6M grant helps Maine combat underage drinking
Filed under: drug addiction newspaper articles
Your article has been sent. AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A $ 2.6-million federal grant is coming Maine's way aimed at reducing underage drinking and prescription drug and marijuana use among young people. Maine's Office of Substance Abuse and Mental …
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JC youth speak out against drug abuse
Filed under: drug addiction newspaper articles
The forum took many twists and turns as the boys in blue tugged on the topic but, at the end of it, there was consensus that the problem of drug abuse among youths has become even more prevalent over the years. They agreed that measures must be taken …
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Letters: Filner, Lightner, Seau and more
Filed under: drug addiction newspaper articles
That in itself is most admirable, but was it necessary for the writer to attempt to make that point by portraying him, to his family, friends and the fans who loved and revered him, as an alcohol, drug addicted, divorced and financially distressed …
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