Summary
"Prescription drug misuse, abuse, and diversion continue to have a devastating effect on communities throughout the country. What the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes as a "deadly epidemic of prescription pain killer abuse" affects communities in every state. Every day in the United States, 113 people die as a result of drug overdose. In 2011, deaths from drug overdoses exceeded deaths from motor vehicle crashes among people 25 to 64 years old. That same year, there were 1.4 million visits to emergency departments involving the nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals, with nearly two-thirds due to prescription antianxiety medications, sleep aids, and pain relievers."--Page 3.