HealthDay (10/16, Preidt) reports that “illicit drug use has declined in most large US cities in recent years, but prescription drug abuse has increased, a new study shows.” According to the article, “the data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network was separated into two types of drug abuse: prescription drugs such as the pain medication OxyContin and illegal street drugs such as heroin and cocaine.” HealthDay details that “from 2007 to 2009, there was an 8 percent decline in overall emergency department visits for street drug abuse, while overall visits for prescription drug abuse increased two percent.” The findings of the study were expected to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, in Washington, DC.
In contrast, the Bend (OR) Bulletin (10/16, Conrad) notes that “federal drug officials recently reported that abuse of prescription drugs is on the decline nationally.” According to the article, “the Department of Health and Human Services noted that the number of adults ages 18 and 25 who abuse prescription drugs dropped by 14 percent, from 2 million to 1.7 million, in 2011.”
Related Links:
— “Drop in Illicit Drug Use in Cities, Uptick in Prescription Drug Abuse, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 15, 2012.