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ONDCP's Efforts to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States and is a serious public health concern. Here are a few startling statistics regarding the extent of the issue:
• In recent years, the number of individuals who, for the first time, consumed prescription drugs for a non-medical purpose, exceeded the number of first-time marijuana users.[1]
• Monitoring the Future, a study of youth attitudes and drug use, shows that seven of the top ten drugs reported abused by 12th graders are prescription drugs.[2]
• From 1997 to 2007 there was a 400% increase in treatment admissions for individuals primarily abusing prescription pain killers.[3]
• According to a Department of Defense survey, in 2008, past month misuse of prescription drugs among active duty military was 11 percent.
Along with these elevated use statistics we are also seeing increases in hospital visits, overdose rates, and overdose fatalities caused by prescription drugs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported recently that prescription and over-the-counter drugs were responsible for the 25% increase in drug-related emergency department visits between 2004 and 2008. By 2008 emergency department visits for misused prescription and over-the-counter drugs were as common as emergency department visits for use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Since 1999 deaths from drug use have more than doubled, surpassing homicides, suicides and gunshot wounds as causes of death. This increase in drug overdose death rates is largely because of prescription opioid painkillers.
But there are steps that we can take to stem the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. ONDCP supports educating physicians about taking extra precautions when prescribing opiate painkillers, in recognizing and addressing signs of prescription drug misuse and abuse, and in using information from state prescription drug monitoring programs when making prescribing decisions. We also support getting prescription drug monitoring programs operational in all 50 states and making sure that these programs are interoperable. Removing unused prescription drugs from home medicine cabinets is a priority and ONDCP supports state and local efforts (with DEA's approval) to organize drug take back events at which people can safely dispose of their unused medications – for both controlled substances such as OxyContin and pharmaceuticals.
ONDCP is sounding the alarm about prescription drug abuse and is working with federal agencies and Congress to raise awareness and implement strategies to reduce misuse, abuse, fraud and diversion of these drugs. Go to ONDCP's website and find out more: www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/prescriptiondrugs.
[1]SAMHSA 2009 Results from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings.
[3]Highlights for 2007 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Table 1b Admissions by primary substance of abuse: TEDS 1997-2007 Percent distribution, http://www.drugabusestatistics.samhsa.gov/
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