STATISTICS & TRENDS

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Medical Marijuana Is Not the Answer to the Opioid Epidemic

As interest in marijuana use has moved forward (partially thanks to state legislation), some proponents of the cannabis movement have said that medical marijuana might be a solution to the opioid epidemic.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Ten Times as Many Teens Use Marijuana Today Than in the 1990s

There have been shifts in our country in the last two decades that can be traced back to the increasing legalization of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use. One such change is that more young people are using the drug.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Low Treatment Opportunities Equal High Overdose Risk

The seemingly endless progression of the opioid addiction epidemic in the United States has left many of us wondering, “What are we missing? Why have we not been able to reduce this problem?” Opioid addiction began to manifest itself as a growing problem...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Could Hospitals Institute Policies for Non Opioid Pain Management?

For decades, drug addiction has been a problem in the United States. We continuously see the daily headlines of terror and trauma relating to addiction. We are inclined to think that this is a new problem. In actual fact, this is not a new problem at all....

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Why Is the Oklahoma Trial of Opioid-Maker Johnson & Johnson So Significant?

Many eyes are watching Oklahoma State’s lawsuit against pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson. The outcome of this trial could set a precedent for the nearly 2,000 other lawsuits filed against pharmaceutical businesses and their executives.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Addiction in the Work Force—Raising Awareness of Substance Abuse in the Working Class Industries

Drug and alcohol addiction has become a constant, regular presence in American society. Sometimes it feels as though everywhere we look, in every social circle or group we are involved with, there is someone who struggles with some kind of habit.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Millennial Meltdown

Drugs and alcohol have claimed more Millennials than any other generation. Millennials are typically defined as those who were born anywhere between 1981 and 1996. They were the generation who not only witnessed the rise of technology but also experienced...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Not So Quick Fix

Our society functions with the idea that a drug will solve all our problems. Are you in pain? Here’s a pill. Do you have a headache? Here is another pill. Are you sad? Pill! Drug problem? Here's a pill to solve your drug problem.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Regions with the Least Significant and Most Significant Drug Problems—A Comparison

When we look at the news and general media discourse regarding drug and alcohol addiction, the subject matter is not that encouraging. It is easy enough to find headlines on “The Top Five States Most Affected by Drug Addiction,” or “The Three States...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How Do We Treat Addiction and Pain?

The issue with opioid pain relievers has the appearance of one of those unsolvable paradoxes. If we reduce access to opioid pharmaceuticals considerably, patients who experience chronic and severe pain issues might not be able to access pain relief. But...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How Public Interest Groups Can Reduce the Prescription Drug Addiction Epidemic

For some time now we have known that our nation’s drug crisis will not resolve with only government action alone. It’s become apparent, now twenty years into the largest addiction epidemic that our country has likely ever seen, that curbing drug addiction...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The U.S. Has the Highest Rate of Overdose Deaths Among Developed Nations

By now it is no new story that the United States is struggling with a pretty severe drug overdose problem. At this time, tens of thousands of people are dying from drug overdoses every year. Though statistics have not yet been tabulated for 2018, more...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Epicenters of the Opioid Crisis and What We Can Learn from Them

In my morning reading, I happened across an article in U.S. News which discussed the disparity of the opioid crisis in America. The report, written by Robert Preidt, a HealthDay reporter, focused on the opioid turmoil as it has touched down in Indiana,...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Pharmaceutical Giant Struggles to Produce a Drug Which Can “Treat” Opioid Addiction

Since the opioid crisis fully developed within the U.S. over the last two decades, pharmaceutical companies came under heavy inspection and even ruthless accusation from the American people. And not without good reason.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Demographics Most Harmed by Addiction

The U.S. struggles with an addiction problem, but this is not a problem that affects all of us equally. While there are over 20 million people in the U.S. who misuse drugs and alcohol regularly, some demographics and specific sectors of the population...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Deaths Now More Likely Than Most Preventable Causes of Death

“For the first time in the nation’s history, Americans are more likely to die from an opioid overdose than a car accident.” That was the headlines from a January 14th, 2019 article in U.S. News. I knew the drug problem was terrible, but I was surprised...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Should Medical Schools Teach Doctors about Addiction?

In a nation stuck in its worst addiction epidemic yet, one would think that our medical professionals would be fully prepared to help addicted patients. But quite the opposite is true. In fact, according to Jan Hoffman’s paper for CNBC, only about 15...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Abuse Now a Top Cause of Discipline among Nurses and Doctors

Drug abuse is so prevalent in our society today that just about every industry and walk of life is affected by it. Drug addiction sneaks into our lives in the most terrible of ways. It seems like no industry or area or part of life is safe anymore. So...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How Rural America Became the Next Victim of the Opioid Epidemic

Addiction is not a new struggle. We’ve dealt with this problem as far back as the history books go, and probably further than that. Addiction is a difficult factor of human nature. It’s something that’s gnawed at us, silently, from the darkest corners...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How Could Doctors Play Their Role in Reducing the Opioid Epidemic?

Doctors played a decisive role in fueling the opioid epidemic whether they knew it or not.