Tennessee Drug Diversion Task Force

National Statistics Regarding Prescription Drugs

Nationwide prescription drugs account for the second most commonly abused category of drugs, second only to marijuana
7 million Americans report current nonmedical use of prescription drugs, more than the number using cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and inhalants combined
For the first time there are now as many new abusers of prescription drugs as there are for marijuana
The nonmedical use of opioids painkillers has doubled between 2005 and 2009
In 2009, 56% of patients who received opioid prescriptions have filled another opioid prescription within the previous 30 days
In 2009, 2.6 million Americans used prescription drugs non-medically for the first time, which averages approximately 7,000 initiates per day
Among people who abuse prescription pain relievers, 55 percent obtain the drug from a friend or relative
Young adults 18 to 25 have the highest annual rates of prescription drug abuse
In 2008, more than 2.1 million children 12 to 17 reported abusing prescription drugs
Every day 2500 children age 12 to 17 use a prescription pain reliever non-medically for the first time
Emergency room visits for the non-medical use of opioids more than doubled between 2005 and 2009
Emergency room visits for prescription drug overdoses now equal the number of visits for illegal and over the counter drugs
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription opioid overdose is now the second leading cause of accidental death in the United States, killing more people than heroin and cocaine combined
From 1997 to 2007, the milligram per person use of prescription opioids in the U.S. increased from 74 milligrams to 369 milligrams, an increase of 402%
Source: www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/prescriptiondrugs/index.html

In 2009, Tennessee ranked #2 with 17.3 retail prescriptions written per capita compared with a national average of 12.0

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In an emergency, call local law enforcement or 911.