Drugs Essay: The Prescription Drug Epidemic

“The Prescription Drug Epidemic”

Since the beginning of the 1990’s drug overdose death rates have increased significantly by over 300% (Webmd.com). The shocking fact behind this is that the increase is not related to illegal drugs but rather over the counter medications that have since become more readily available in today’s society. Since the drugs are considered legal, the lines of drug abuse have been skewed in years past and many users assume these are safer than their illegal counterparts when that is not the case. Prescription drugs are equally, if not, more dangerous than illicit drugs. In order to decrease the abuse of prescription medications we must understand where these drugs are coming from, what their effects are on the mind and body, as well as what can be done to prevent these drugs from getting into the wrong hands. The prescription drug epidemic had a good run due to the lack of information regarding their true dangers but with more readily available data and thousands of cases to help back it up, one can only hope abuse will begin to decline in the years to follow. Prescription drug abuse can be defined as someone taking a medication prescribed to them or acquired some other way for a reason or in a method other than that suggested by a doctor.…show more content…
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