Prescription drug addiction is no longer a peripheral public policy issue, as displayed by President Obama's call for Americans to do more to prevent loved ones from falling victim to painkillers.

“More Americans die every year from drug overdoses than they do in car crashes,” Obama said in his weekly address on Saturday. “And most of those deaths aren’t due to drugs like cocaine or heroin--but rather prescription drugs.”

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While many experts are now skeptical of the once-popular claim that marijuana is a "gateway" to hard drugs, few dispute evidence that legal substances, such as Oxycontin, often serve as a first step to heroin addiction.

“Many prescription pain medications belong to the same class of drug as heroin,” Obama said. “In fact, four in five heroin users started out by misusing prescription drugs."

In an effort to reduce abuse, the president called on Americans to get rid of unneeded prescription pills that loved ones could get their hands on.

Not only is prescription drug addiction a tragic public health crisis, but it takes a heavy toll on taxpayers in the form of law enforcement and prison costs.

Reforming corrections in the U.S., home of the largest prison population in the world, has become a legacy-defining goal for Obama, who recently became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison.

“Rather than keep spending billions of taxpayer dollars on needlessly long prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, we could save money and get better outcomes by getting treatment to those who need it,” Obama said.

Americans have become aware of the dangers of prescription drug addiction in recent years. A survey two years ago found that more than 50 percent of Americans believe that the phenomenon is a major public health concern and that doctors should do more to limit the meds they give out.

Only 4 percent of survey respondents said that it was the responsibility of law enforcement to deal with the problem, suggesting that the "lock em up" mentality is ceding to a more treatment-based philosophy on drug abuse.

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Obama calls for more action on prescription drug abuse

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