(Prescription) Drugs Now Cause More Deaths than Car Crashes

[The Straight Story]

Drugs Now Cause More Deaths than Car Crashes

While better regulations and safety standards have produced fewer and fewer auto-related deaths in the United States, drug-induced fatalities continue to go up—and now are the bigger killer of Americans.

An analysis by the Los Angeles Times discovered that drugs killed 37,485 people nationwide in 2009. Auto deaths that same year totaled 36,284, making it the first time cars were the less deadly problem of the two.

Prescription abuse has been the leading factor in driving up drug fatalities, which have doubled in the last ten years and now average one every 14 minutes. Aggressive marketing campaigns by pharmaceutical companies and relaxed standards for doctors prescribing drugs have contributed to their spread. The most commonly abused medications are OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax, Soma and Fentanyl. In fact, prescription overdoses now outnumber deaths caused by heroin and cocaine combined.

http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/Drugs_Now_Cause_More_Deaths_than_Car_Crashes_110925

[elehhhhna]

1. count in the abuse of tripleC's, robotussin, inhalants

and yo have a LOT of dead people

[lob1]

2. Legal drugs kill more people that illegal drugs.

So it's obvious why we have a war on illegal drugs and TV ads for the real killers.

[truthwillout777]

12. they always warned us about the drug pusher on the corner (as if!)

but never about the major drug pushers in the doctors office. The goal is to get you hooked for life on one prescription or another, oops this one causes side effects, now you need another. Oops we cured your breast cancer, but the drugs we gave you caused uterine cancer.

[Major Nikon]

3. I don't really see the effect "better regulations" would have

The reason why these types of drugs are more often abused is because the so-called 'war on drugs' makes illicit drugs less available and more expensive. And while certainly drug companies are guilty of aggressive marketing tactics on certain types of drugs, I don't really see pain relief drugs fitting well into that model. These types of drugs are already very highly regulated. More regulation would almost certainly mean more people living in pain needlessly.

I don't really see change coming to this situation until this nation takes a long and hard look at the moral hazard of the 'war on drugs'.

[fredamae]

4. Instead of common sense

we get a determined nonsensical focus upon Cannabis Eradication & the MSM propaganda machine...This is the Best example of Fiscal Irresponsibility toward drug problems and the benefits awarded (tax monies) to those who Profit from Prohibition.
They actually don't give a shit about you, me, life, pain relief, treatment and addiction; none of it when it's a Legal Pharma drug...just "their" bottom line Benefit for maintaining prohibition.

[saras]

5. How many car crashes are caused by prescription drugs?

[_ed_]

6. I've always wondered about his

My neighbor is constantly fucked up on some kind of happy pills to the point that she seems to look past me when we exchange pleasantries. I cringe when I see her drive away.

[libodem]

7. Hell yeah

Big Pharma is proud drug dealer. Bet they lobby hard against teh weed.

[hfojvt]

8. sounds like some of the deaths are

from people using them improperly. How many of the deaths are from that vs. doctor errors?

[Mimosa]

11. Older people driving are more likely to be on Rxs

Wasn't it an 86 year old woman who hit Reese Witherspoon?

[truthwillout777]

9. This is HUGE

and many car accidents are probably caused by people doped up on some pain killer

People need to stop mindlessly trusting their doctors.

[Mimosa]

10. Insurance institute of highway Safety says cell phone use and texting are dangerous too. n/t