UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Teva Pharmaceuticals Found Guilty

In the slew of recent lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, yet another loss for Big Pharma was announced on December 30th, 2021, in the case of New York State against Teva Pharmaceuticals.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Western and Midwestern U.S. Hard Hit by Fentanyl Overdoses

For much of the 2010s, fentanyl addiction and overdoses surged in regional areas like the Northeast, Appalachia, and the Southeast. At the time, many experts believed fentanyl addiction and overdose would remain a localized crisis, not a national one....

STATISTICS & TRENDS

New Threat to Watch For: Unwashed Poppy Seed Consumption

Clinicians and families alike may not be aware of the risk posed by consumption of a readily available type of poppy seed. Despite this lack of awareness, this seed can result in addiction, overdose and death.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Over 100,000 Lives Lost to Drugs; CDC Finalizes Overdose Fatalities for 2020

The United States just passed a grim milestone, the first time in recorded history when over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in one year. It’s a painful wake-up call, and a call to action that something must be done about the drug addiction...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The U.S. is Losing a City Every Year to Drug and Alcohol Addiction

It may seem unbelievable at first, but the title is no exaggeration. America’s addiction epidemic has become so widespread that the United States now loses the population equivalent of an entire city each year to fatal drug overdoses.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How the Sackler Family Got Away with Denying Any Responsibility in the Opioid Epidemic

The litigation of Purdue Pharma/the Sacklers is now over. One of the key aspects of the case that deserves full scrutiny is that Purdue’s owners threatened to withdraw settlement funds if they did not achieve personal immunity. In the end, they won.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Are Drug and Alcohol Addiction Fatalities the Next American Epidemic?

Words and terms like “epidemic,” “pandemic,” and “national health emergency” have become commonplace in American society. These terms often make one think of the dangerous spread of communicable diseases and illnesses. Yet with almost 200,000...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

CDC Guidelines Suggest More Conservative Opioid Prescribing, but Is it Enough?

In the wake of the ongoing opioid addiction and overdose epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published conservative prescribing guidelines for U.S. doctors to follow. And while there have been some welcome reductions in prescribing...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opioid Abuse Surged During the Pandemic – Treatment is the Answer for Those Now Addicted

There is compelling evidence that suggests opioid addiction and overdose rates soared during the Covid-19 pandemic. Was this a direct result of Covid-19? Or was it a continuation of America’s opioid addiction epidemic?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Rise of Drugged Driving in America

For decades, the American people have implemented strategies to prevent drunk driving. But more recently, drugged driving, a different but very real threat, has soared. How can we effectively address this new problem?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Why are Multiple States Suing Drug Companies for $26.4 Billion?

A dozen states are suing a drug manufacturer and three drug distributors for more than $26 billion. Why? So they can restore the lives and mop up the wreckage left by the opioid epidemic.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Maker of OxyContin Loses Criminal Lawsuit—Transform to Non-Profit and Pay $8 Billion

In a breaking news story that spread like wildfire across the U.S., the American people were informed that Purdue Pharmaceuticals, maker of OxyContin, had agreed to plead guilty to federal, criminal charges. Why?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Meth Addiction—A Rising Crisis in America

After several years of meth addiction becoming an increasingly severe problem, the media is only just now beginning to focus on it.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Ending The War On Addiction

Decades of stigma has led to the mistreatment of those who struggle with drugs and alcohol. America's drug crisis will not improve until the nation focuses on treating addicts, not criminalizing them.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

As Legalization Spreads, Teen Marijuana Use Returns

As cannabis legalization efforts have increased across the U.S. more youth begin to see marijuana as non-threatening and usage rates have begun to climb, creating serious problems for this nation's young people.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

A Strong Warning from the Surgeon General’s Office on Drug Addiction

The office of the Surgeon General is responsible for assessing and addressing the serious health problems that the American people face every year. With that in mind, it is no surprise that the Surgeon General has released several reports on the state...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

What Is the Average Age of Someone Who Dies from a Drug Overdose?

While there is no question that the United States is struggling with an addiction crisis of epic proportions, some of the more telling details of the crisis are not broadly discussed. For example, what could we learn by examining what age range of Americans...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

After a Long Decline, Drug Overdose Deaths Experience Upturn

In September 2019, I wrote a perhaps overly optimistic piece about the fact that America was finally seeing a downturn in overdose deaths. In the more than ten years I’d been writing about this topic, I had only seen the steadiest of climbs in these...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

A Growing Drug Problem in Maryland Raises Concern

Drug overdoses are one of the leading health problems in the United States. And while drug addiction is present in every U.S. state, the crisis touches down with more force in some states than in others. Maryland is one such state.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Support Recovery through International Overdose Awareness Day & National Recovery Month

More Americans are beginning to understand the sweeping addiction epidemic that this country faces.