So, Florida is apparently plagued by addicted prescription-poppers and not the pot-addled deviants targeted by our government’s so-called “War on Drugs.” A new report shows that prescription drugs killed three-times more Floridians than illegal drugs, and not because old people can’t follow doctor’s orders. Addictive prescriptions like Vicodin, OxyContin, Valium and Xanax killed more users than all illegal drugs combined.
The report’s findings track with similar studies by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which has found that roughly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs. If accurate, that would be an increase of 80 percent in six years and more than the total abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants.
The Florida report analyzed 168,900 deaths statewide. Cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines caused 989 deaths, it found, while legal opioids — strong painkillers in brand-name drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin — caused 2,328.
Drugs with benzodiazepine, mainly depressants like Valium and Xanax, led to 743 deaths. Alcohol was the most commonly occurring drug, appearing in the bodies of 4,179 of the dead and judged the cause of death of 466 — fewer than cocaine (843) but more than methamphetamine (25) and marijuana (0).
The study also found that while the number of people who died with heroin in their bodies increased 14 percent in 2007, to 110, deaths related to the opioid oxycodone increased 36 percent, to 1,253.
Florida doesn’t track prescription drug purchases like other states, making life mindlessly easy for prescription drug addicts.
The lesson here is throw-out unused prescriptions, and be suspicious if your Xanax-munching friend keeps talking up impromptu trips to Disney World.
Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal, Florida Says [NYT]
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@Valhawk: My genes are necessary to the pool insofar as they will have to be spliced into your children if they are to have any capacity for grammar and syntax.
And alcohol & tobacco kill more people than marijuana. Next!
I’m more interested in how many people have been killed by LEGAL pharmacethe correct, prescribed dosage. The JAMA puts the number at 100,000 a year. I would be willing to be it’s a lot higher.
Fatalities caused by legal pharmaceuticals have DOUBLED between 1998 and 2005. That’s only 7 years.
Two great examples of the failure of American Democracy (or, evidence that we do not HAVE a democracy):
1. Drugs, especially marijuana, are still illegal, despite the opposition of anyone who has studied the issue beyond the nightly news, including presidential panels.
Reason? The prison-industrial complex makes too much money off them. Money buys political power.
2. Pharmaceuticals are still allowed to be pushed to everyone from cradle to grave, despite more and more evidence of their toxicity and dangerous side effects. Not just allowed, of course, but actively promoted by the government.
Reason? The pharma-medical-complex makes too much money off them. Money buys political power.
What country is this we live in again?
drugs taken by a person to whom they were NOT prescribed make them just as illegal as cocaine. Title should be: “The Battle Of The Biggest Killer: Illegal Prescription Drugs V. Illegal Ilicit Drugs” so somesuch.
What are the numbers for Mexico? Just curious if availability has a factor either way. Do people start abusing something because it has some taboo to it, or does constantly being subjected to it lead to abuse?
@mycroft2000:
or if McCain beats Obama.
Mind if I write this down and we revisit in November?
I knew that, for a while: prescription drugs cause more death, than illegal drugs.
Also, doctors are the third leading cause of death, in the USA.
When are people gonna wake up? Drugs are poisons, and should be used only in very limited circumstances.
Let’s do the math, 30 Oxy’s with insurance cost approx.$20.
Street value $50ea X 30= $1500.00
Profit= $1480 per month or $17760 per year for the street dealer! Considering the fact that the longer you use oxycontin the more you need to acheive the same effect start multiplying the above figures by 2, 3, 4 or more.
Doctors who are either idiots or don’t care create a huge drug abuse problem and purveyors of oxycontin (which is probably one of the most addictive drugs ever) pocketing huge profits and turning our next generation into addicts and criminals.