“While most major causes of preventable death are declining, drugs are an exception. The death toll has doubled in the last decade, now claiming a life every 14 minutes. By contrast, traffic accidents have been dropping for decades because of huge investments in auto safety.
Public health experts have used the comparison to draw attention to the nation’s growing prescription drug problem, which they characterize as an epidemic. This is the first time that drugs have accounted for more fatalities than traffic accidents since the government started tracking drug-induced deaths in 1979.
Fueling the surge in deaths are prescription pain and anxiety drugs that are potent, highly addictive and especially dangerous when combined with one another or with other drugs or alcohol. Among the most commonly abused are OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax and Soma. One relative newcomer to the scene is Fentanyl, a painkiller that comes in the form of patches and lollipops and is 100 times more powerful than morphine.
Such drugs now cause more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.”
If we really wanted to save lives, we’d outlaw many of these prescription drugs and make marijuana legal. It would probably help people who are prone to violence, too.
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The bottom line is that we have to stop glorifying violence, rednecks, gang culture, etc. and start encouraging people to have more personal contact with others instead of texting (or blogging!) all day long. We also need to have a comprehensive plan for dealing with mentally ill people. Putting them out on the streets is not the answer.
