Heroin overdose deaths in U.S. tripled in 3 years
By John Tozzi, BloombergBusiness
More than 8,200 Americans — an average of 23 people each day — died of heroin overdoses in 2013. That’s according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and it’s the latest evidence that the nation’s heroin problem is becoming more severe.
The rate of overdose deaths in 2013, the CDC report states, is almost triple what it was in 2010.
The growing heroin problem follows a decadelong increase in the abuse of prescription opioids such as oxycodone and fentanyl, which are chemically similar to heroin. Many more Americans continue to die from overdoses involving these kinds of prescription pills than heroin.
But opioid-related deaths have declined slightly, while the rate of heroin deaths has increased since 2010. That was the year the OxyContin, a widely prescribed painkiller, was reformulated to make it harder to abuse.
Nasty stuff maybe we should pass a law against it.
That will stop it.
52 of those folks are from our little Town.
It’s cheap poison that kills and it is coming across the open border to do just that and there is little that will stop it as long as the border is unsecure.
Justice, this product comes from Afghanistan and it’s documented that our very own military, under orders, has acted as security for poppy producers so as not to impede the economic engine that drives much of that country. All in the name of winning hearts and minds! The Mexican cartels are simply today’s mules of choice. Without them I guarantee that some other entity would step up to the plate to deliver it here. You’re myopic view is a wee bit simple in it’s scope!
BigPharma gets people hooked on prescription painkillers. When no longer available, people go looking for a cheaper option. Bad medicine.
It has nothing to do with big anything. There is no effective treatment for many people with chronic pain that does not include addiction. People without pain talk about all of the wonderful treatments for pain. Unbending and unyielding pain day after day makes people make strange choices. Been there and I was one of the truly lucky ones that had complete success with surgery. Most don’t. But you are right, this is where it ends. Wonderful world isn’t it?
The most dangerous and lethal poison being smuggled across the open border is black tar poison produced in Mexico using Columbian sources. Many die instantly, they never knew that the cheap poison was as high as 90% pure. Many of these deaths are not from anyone in chronic pain looking for relief, these are young people not even aware of the danger. This is increasing across the country and has to be stopped at the source of production and the border before it can be distributed to the gangs that sell it,
@Moral..I’m not so sure I agree with you. Numerous studies have shown the benefit of yoga, meditation and biofeedback in helping to alleviate chronic pain. I’ve dealt with the agony of chronic migraines since I was a teen, herniated a disc in my lower back since I was in my 20’s, neck and knee injuries since my 30’s. I’m not addicted to anything. I don’t, and never have take anything stronger than Ibuprofen and acetaminophen for pain. When the BigPharma won(bought) the ‘right’ to advertise directly to the public in 1997 the ‘genie was out of the bottle’. Now $4 BILLION dollars are spent on ‘direct to consumer’ advertising of prescription drugs (source:NPR). We are conditioned to take pills. Americans have been systematically bombarded with advertisements carefully crafted by psychologists, marketers and lawyers to be intolerant of ‘conditions’, including pain. Practically everything now is a ‘disease’ that can be managed by a ‘once daily’ something. Yeah pain sucks..the first noble truth of Buddhism is that ‘life is suffering’. Oh well.
Hmmm, you have proven you don’t have chronic pain. Like I said, people without chronic pain love to tell us all of the things that will make the pain go away.
There is no effective treatment for the vast majority of us that does not include opiate addiction. Ask a doctor if you don’t believe me. .
I don’t care about your buddah or your bible or any other fairy tales.
Pray you never learn.
Moral- We can’t give-up on trying to have quality of life- despite pain. Some days it wins -other days- pain be damned.
Hmmm has a point about Big Pharma and heroin replacing opiates that are no longer available. Also, the alternative treatments that Hmmm outlines are effective to some degree. Combined with Nature therapy, there is still quality of life to be had- in my opinion.(and darn-it! I’m in a position to know)
Physical Therapy is the most underused pain treatment in Western medicine. It has saved my life and it will be my first line of defense for the rest of my life. Too bad it is not prescribed more often.
@Moral…enjoy your addiction, then. I really don’t care what your closed mind allows you to accept or reject.
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
-Plato
Additionally, I said NOTHING about making pain ‘go away’. Pain is a symptom. What I outlined was a few strategies for managing pain without addiction. You want a life without pain? Good luck with that.