Study Says Heroin Overdose Death Rate Doubled in US

Health authorities have revealed that fatal heroin overdoses rose sharply across much of the United States in just two years. The report also showed that death rates have doubled between 2010 and 2012.

The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was based on death certificate data from 28 states, where total deaths from heroin overdoses rose from 1,779 to 3,635.

Drug Abuse | Drug Addiction | Substance Abuse - Overview
The use of Drugs for reasons other than its prescribed recommendation, is known as Drug abuse or substance abuse. Drug abuse or substance abuse is initiated by various biological and social factors.

That translated to a doubling of the death rate, from one per 100,000 people to 2.1 per 100,000.

"Despite these findings, still more than twice as many people died from prescription opioid overdoses as died from heroin in these states in 2012," added the CDC report.

Reasons for the rise in heroin overdoses include "widespread prescription opioid exposure and increasing rates of opioid addiction... and increased heroin supply."

Impact of Drug Abuse on Health and Society
Drug abuse is a negative social trend that pushes youth to drug addiction in the pretext of getting psychological effects like excitation.

Three out of four people who use heroin say they have previously abused prescription painkillers like Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin.

Experts say heroin is cheap and often easy to buy, leading some addicts to seek out the street drug when the more expensive prescription drugs can't be obtained.

Drug Abuse in Pregnancy
Drug abuse during pregnancy has an adverse effect on the mother as well as the fetus. It is advisable to stop usage of illicit drugs well before pregnancy.

"Reducing inappropriate opioid prescribing remains a crucial public health strategy to address both prescription opioid and heroin overdoses," said CDC director Tom Frieden.

"Addressing prescription opioid abuse by changing prescribing is likely to prevent heroin use in the long term."

Source-AFP