Of course, illegal drugs are only one part of the equation. Here in the U.S. we're having an even bigger problem with legal prescription drugs...
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_o...mKXt4.dpbs
Between doctors over-prescribing due to monetary incentives and the big-wigs at the pharmacetucal companies using shady tactics, like hiding how truly addictive these drugs are, our streets are flooded with these powerful drugs. OxyContin is essentially medical grade heroin, and then there's fentanyl(what killed Prince), which is so potent that it's prescribed in micrograms. On top of that, people that get hooked on legally prescribed drugs often turn to street drugs like heroin when their prescriptions dry up.
Between opiates, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, et al, you can get your fix all with drugs that were legally produced.
Then, of course, there is the federal government's ridiculous classification of addictive substances. Oxy and fentanyl(which are highly addictive and deadly) are both schedule II(the second highest classification of addiction) while drugs like marijuana and LSD are in schedule I(the highest classification). Then the benzodiazepines(Ativan, Xanax) are only schedule IV, but they are nearly as addictive as opiates and not only can you O.D. on, you can die from their withdrawls and they are deadly to combine.
So, yeah, the real problem with drugs is that we've never taken a scientific approach to dealing with them and we've let big business corrupt the whole process.
Quote:(Drug Overdose Deaths in the US and Involvement of Pharmaceutical Drugs, 2010) "In 2010, there were 38,329 drug overdose deaths in the United States; most (22 134; 57.7%) involved pharmaceuticals; 9429 (24.6%) involved only unspecified drugs. Of the pharmaceutical-related overdose deaths, 16,451 (74.3%) were unintentional, 3780 (17.1%) were suicides, and 1868 (8.4%) were of undetermined intent. Opioids (16,651; 75.2%), benzodiazepines (6497; 29.4%), antidepressants (3889; 17.6%), and antiepileptic and antiparkinsonism drugs (1717; 7.8%) were the pharmaceuticals (alone or in combination with other drugs) most commonly involved in pharmaceutical overdose deaths. Among overdose deaths involving opioid analgesics, the pharmaceuticals most often also involved in these deaths were benzodiazepines (5017; 30.1%), antidepressants (2239; 13.4%), antiepileptic and antiparkinsonism drugs (1125; 6.8%), and antipsychotics and neuroleptics (783; 4.7%)." - See more at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_o...mKXt4.dpuf
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_o...mKXt4.dpbs
Between doctors over-prescribing due to monetary incentives and the big-wigs at the pharmacetucal companies using shady tactics, like hiding how truly addictive these drugs are, our streets are flooded with these powerful drugs. OxyContin is essentially medical grade heroin, and then there's fentanyl(what killed Prince), which is so potent that it's prescribed in micrograms. On top of that, people that get hooked on legally prescribed drugs often turn to street drugs like heroin when their prescriptions dry up.
Between opiates, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, et al, you can get your fix all with drugs that were legally produced.
Then, of course, there is the federal government's ridiculous classification of addictive substances. Oxy and fentanyl(which are highly addictive and deadly) are both schedule II(the second highest classification of addiction) while drugs like marijuana and LSD are in schedule I(the highest classification). Then the benzodiazepines(Ativan, Xanax) are only schedule IV, but they are nearly as addictive as opiates and not only can you O.D. on, you can die from their withdrawls and they are deadly to combine.
CNN Wrote:According to the FDA, between 2004 and 2011, the number of overdose deaths involving the combination of both drugs nearly tripled. In addition, the number of patients prescribed both a narcotic and a benzodiazepine in that same time period increased by 41%, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
So, yeah, the real problem with drugs is that we've never taken a scientific approach to dealing with them and we've let big business corrupt the whole process.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
