Abuse of Parmaceutical Drugs, by Ted Moffet
I had done a significant amount of research on pharmaceutical
drug abuse, and posted this info to Vision2020 a few years ago. But I am
having trouble finding the information on my account. Anyway, here are
two articles, one from JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), and
a study from CASA (National Center On Addition and Substance Abuse) that
documents in part what I wrote to you about increases in abuse of
pharmaceuticals. I am not trying to talk you into including this issue in your
column...just sharing info on this subject. Imagine the public reaction if
the rates of deaths (from overdose) documented in this academic papers below
were due to cannabis... Rates of emergency room deaths (in 2002)associated
with pharmaceutical abuse are higher than for heroin and cocaine, according to
the source below.
Results Of 295 decedents, 198 (67.1%) were
men and 271 (91.9%) were aged 18 through 54 years. Pharmaceutical
diversion was associated with 186 (63.1%) deaths, while 63 (21.4%)
were accompanied by evidence of doctor shopping. Prevalence of
diversion was greatest among decedents aged 18 through 24 years and
decreased across each successive age group. Having prescriptions
for a controlled substance from 5 or more clinicians in the year
prior to death was more common among women (30 [30.9%]) and
decedents aged 35 through 44 years (23 [30.7%]) compared with men
(33 [16.7%]) and other age groups (40 [18.2%]). Substance abuse
indicators were identified in 279 decedents (94.6%), with nonmedical
routes of exposure and illicit contributory drugs particularly
prevalent among drug diverters. Multiple contributory substances
were implicated in 234 deaths (79.3%). Opioid analgesics were
taken by 275 decedents (93.2%), of whom only 122 (44.4%) had ever
been prescribed these drugs.
Conclusion The majority of
overdose deaths in West Virginia in 2006 were associated with
nonmedical use and diversion of pharmaceuticals, primarily opioid
analgesics.
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Another study is referenced below on pharmaceutical abuse
documenting what I wrote to you:
- In 2002, controlled prescription drugs were implicated in
29.9 percent of drug related emergency room deaths. Opioids were implicated in
18.9 percent of such deaths compared to 15.2 percent for cocaine, 12.6 percent
for heroin and 2.6 percent for marijuana. - In 2002, abuse of controlled
prescription drugs was implicated in at least 23 percent of drug-related
emergency department admissions. - Between 1994 and 2002, controlled
prescription drug-related emergency room mentions increased by nearly 80
percent, ...
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More from the same study:
Among the report's major findings: - From 1992 to 2002,
prescriptions written for controlled drugs increased more than 150 percent,
almost 12 times the rate of increase in population and almost three times the
rate of increase in prescriptions written for all other drugs. - From 1992 to
2003, the number of people abusing controlled prescription drugs increased
seven times faster than the increase in the U.S. population. - From 1992 to
2003, abuse of controlled prescription drugs grew at a rate twice that of
marijuana abuse; five times that of cocaine abuse; 60 times that of heroin
abuse. - From 1992 to 2000 -- -- The number of new opioid abusers grew by 225
percent; new tranquilizer abusers, by 150 percent; new sedative abusers, by
more than 125 percent; new stimulant abusers, by more than 170 percent. -- The
increase in new abusers 12 to 17 years old was far greater than among adults
(four times greater for opioids; three times for tranquilizers and sedatives;
two and one-half times for stimulants). - From 1992 to 2002, new abuse of
prescription opioids among 12 to 17 year olds was up an astounding 542
percent, more than four times the rate of increase among adults. - In 2003,
2.3 million 12 to 17 year olds (nearly one in 10) abused at least one
controlled prescription drug; for 83 percent of them, the drug was opioids. -
In 2003, among 12 to 17 year olds, girls were likelier than boys to abuse
controlled prescription drugs (10.1 percent of girls vs. 8.6 percent of boys).
- Between 1991 and 2003, rates of lifetime steroid abuse among high school
students increased 126 percent, with abuse among girls up by nearly 350
percent, compared to 66 percent among boys.
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Ted
On 2/25/09,
Ted Moffett <starbliss@gmail.com>
wrote:
I liked your essay on the so called "War On Drugs." There
is only so much ground that can be covered in a short column. But the
increase in the rates of abuse of pharmaceuticals is a major development
in US drug use/abuse. Reductions in rates of abuse of some illegal drugs
are associated with increase in rates of abuse of pharmaceuticals, which
are deemed less dangerous and not "illegal." And the pharmaceutical
industry spends millions in advertising directly to the public for their
very profitable drugs, which some think encourages non-medically essential
drug use. People go to doctors telling the doctors what drugs they want
(instead of doctors making an evaluation and then prescribing based upon
the necessity of medical needs), and doctors are sometimes connected with
the profits made by the pharmaceutical industry.
Your column suggests you known more than "very little
about" some of these issues...
Three other issues that are very important relating to the
"War On Drugs" are medical cannabis, a major legal battle ground, the role
of the opium industry in the US occupation of Afghanistan, and how the
"War On Drugs" has undermined constitutionally protected civil rights,
such as the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and
seizure. While your column touched on this issue discussing paramilitary
swat teams in the US pursuing drug related suspects, unless I missed it I
did not read that you explicitly mentioned how everyones constitutional
rights have been undermined in the pursuit of the "War On Drugs." For
example, the requirement for law enforcement to knock before entering
private residences has been weakened. This has led to very tragic
outcomes. Also, assets forfeiture laws relating to suspicion of illegal
drug activity now allow seizure of assets even without a court
conviction. In fact, simply carrying large amounts of cash is reason
enough for the cash to be seized by law enforcement, with no other
evidence of illegal activity. The article from "Reasononline" below offers
information on these issues:
“The Fourth Amendment has been virtually repealed by court
decisions,” Yale law professor Steven Duke
told Wired magazine in 2000, “most of which involve drug searches.”
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More info from the Cato Institute on the "War On Drugs" and
erosion of constitutional rights: