Deaths in the United States from prescription drug overdoses have skyrocketed in the last two decades. However, the rate of increase is much greater in 29 states, having doubled since 1999.
A study examining whether states were taking steps to reduce prescription drug ODs found that, in some states with the highest rate of ODs, the least amount of effort is being made to address the issue.
The study, "Prescription Drug Abuse: Strategies to Stop the Epidemic," was conducted by the Trust for America's Health. It offered this comparison: a ranking of states by rate of deaths from prescription drug overdoses; and a ranking of states based upon their adoption of specific measures, or indicators, they could be taking to reduce the OD death rate.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
