Prescription drug abuse is a nationwide problem, but it's gotten particularly out of hand in Los Angeles. Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the public health director for L.A. County, has released a report stating that the county's leading cause for emergency visits is prescription drug overdoses.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the overdoses account for 60 percent of drug-related deaths since 2000. In addition, that there are twice as many people are seeking treatment for prescription drug addiction today as there were five years ago.
If those numbers aren't alarming, than this will definitely make you uncomfortable: The report says that 11 percent of high school freshmen and 14 percent of high school juniors pop pills for recreational purposes. Fielding says the best way to fight the problem is school-based education problems, education for families, drug buy-backs and more thorough pain management.
[via LAist]
