To the Point

Abuse of Prescription Drugs Is Being Called a 'National Epidemic'

Prescription drug abuse is nothing new, but now it's being called epidemic, "from the Hollywood hills to the hollows of West Virginia." The Drug Enforcement Agency says Vicodin and Valium cause more overdose deaths in America than cocaine and heroin combined.

By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

Prescription drug abuse is nothing new, but now it's being called epidemic, "from the Hollywood hills to the hollows of West Virginia." The Drug Enforcement Agency says Vicodin and Valium cause more overdose deaths in America than cocaine and heroin combined. Victims include high-profile celebrities, poverty-stricken kids and middle-aged adults, with some doctors peddling legal drugs for no medical reason. But the same drugs alleviate real suffering. How can they be provided to people who need them and kept away from people who don't?

Warren Olney
former KCRW broadcaster
Frances Anderton
architecture critic and author
Katie Cooper
Producer, 'One year Later'
Scott Glover
Los Angeles Times
Jeffrey Coben
Professor of Emergency Medicine, West Virginia University
Paul Christo
Director of Pain Training, Johns Hopkins Hospital

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To the Point

Abuse of Prescription Drugs Is Being Called a 'National Epidemic'

Prescription drug abuse is nothing new, but now it's being called epidemic, "from the Hollywood hills to the hollows of West Virginia." The Drug Enforcement Agency says Vicodin and Valium cause more overdose deaths in America than cocaine and heroin combined.

Share

To the Point

Abuse of Prescription Drugs Is Being Called a 'National Epidemic'

Prescription drug abuse is nothing new, but now it's being called epidemic, "from the Hollywood hills to the hollows of West Virginia." The Drug Enforcement Agency says Vicodin and Valium cause more overdose deaths in America than cocaine and heroin combined.

Share