Drug deaths outnumber traffic fatalities in US: LA Times

Drug-related deaths outnumber traffic fatalities in the U.S., the Los Angeles Times said Sunday.

According to research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug consumption killed 37,485 people in the U.S. in 2009, more than the 36,284 who died in traffic accidents. The death toll from drugs doubled from 6.7 persons per 100,000 people in 2000 to 12.7 in 2008, claiming a life every 14 minutes.

Prescription pain and anxiety drugs caused more deaths than cocaine and heroin combined, the Los Angeles Times analysis found. Deaths from anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium and Xanax surged by 284 percent between 2000 and 2008, and those from prescription painkillers including Vicodin and OxyContin increased by 256 percent.

Deaths from cocaine rose 68 percent and those from heroin increased by 68 percent and 56 percent, respectively.

Prescription drugs are especially dangerous when combined with other drugs or alcohol. Overdose victims range from teenagers who overdose from a cocktail of prescription drugs to middle-aged men and women who get addicted to medications to relieve back pain and bum knees.

The number of prescriptions for pain pills filled at California pharmacies increased more than 43 percent between 2007 and 2009 and doses grew nearly 50 percent.

Experts say prescription drugs are being abused because users do not have their guard up, feeling they are safer with these drugs because they are legal. Aggressive sales campaigns by pharmaceutical manufacturers have also fueled overdoses. A case in point is the “Direct to Consumer” TV drug ads allowed in 1981.

The rise in deaths also corresponds with pharmaceutical manufacturers selling prescription drugs in various forms. Fentanyl, a popular drug in the U.S., is 100 times stronger than morphine but is sold in the form of patches and lollipops.

A woman in San Diego was found dead with five Fentanyl patches on her body. Prescription drugs are traded on the Internet at 10-80 dollars a pill.

In April, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy announced initiatives aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse. The plans include a series of drug take-back days in which consumers are encouraged to turn leftover prescription drugs in to authorities.

Another initiative was the development of prescription drug-monitoring programs aimed at thwarting “doctor-shopping” addicts.

These programs appear to have little effect, experts say. Amy Bohnert, a researcher at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, said, “What`s really scary is we don`t know a lot about how to reduce prescription deaths. It`s a wonderful medical advancement that we can treat pain. But we haven`t figured out the safety belt yet."

mickey@donga.com