Mind Blowing Opioid Statistics
These opioid statistics are astounding and verifiable. I was listening to a great webinar recording today – See next article.
One of the topics was the effect that opioids would have on Workers Compensation in 2017 and beyond. I was subsequently reading an article on opioids published by Dr. Mercola. Dr. Mercola has many free publications on health issues. The article contained incredible opioid statistics.
Some of the highlights were:
- Opioids have been identified as the gateway drug to heroin use. Wow!
- More people use opioids than smoke cigarettes. You have go to be kidding me!
- This is not a street-drug epidemic as more opioids are prescribed than bought on the street. One has to wonder how many car crashes were caused by opioids.
- Opioids kill more people every year than car crashes.
- Many people can become addicted after just one course of opioid treatment
This last one was a quote from the head of the CDC – Dr. Tom Friedman “We know of no other medication routinely used for a nonfatal condition that kills patients so frequently.”
An earlier Cutcompcosts.com article pointed out that NCCI had found that 40% of all narcotics are taken by 1% of the Workers Comp patients. A friend of mine that works the night shift at a large pharmacy in the Boston area says that each night just before midnight, the Vicodin patients line up to get their refills just after midnight.
She calls it her “waiting room.” She also says that the numbers each night have been static over the last few years.
A large number of articles on Workers Comp vs Opioids seem to indicate an improvement in the reduction of abuse. After reading all these newer articles, it may have shifted from WC, but it is still a problem as proven by the preceding opioid statistics.
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