UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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

Fentanyl Today: An Update on this Deadly and Ever-Changing Phenomenon

The changes of the last several years must be tracked and understood if we are to reverse the terrible losses imposed on our country by those who make and traffic in fentanyl.

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.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opiate Addiction Surges in Suburban America

It's no mystery that drug and alcohol addiction statistics surged through the first two decades of the 21st-century. As the drug problem grew (mainly involving opiates), it began to affect demographics that previously had very minimal interactions with...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Important Update for Families from the 2019 Drug Threat Assessment

Every year, the Drug Enforcement Administration reports on the biggest drug threats in our country because those threats never stay the same two years in a row. These annual reports can arm parents with enough information to warn their children of the...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

What Was Johnson & Johnson's Role in Triggering the Opioid Epidemic?

Oklahoma's lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson revealed the role this company played in encouraging the too-liberal use of opioid painkillers. Witness testimony also pointed to the special way this company profited from increased prescribing – of their...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

As Jobs are Lost, Addiction Statistics Soar

People turn to drugs and alcohol for many different reasons. For as many people that there are who are addicted, there are just as many reasons why those people use substances. Addicts are unique individuals. Each one will have his or her story of why...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opioid Lawsuits – Where Should Settlement Money Go?

An October 2019 article in USA Today focused on how critical it is that opioid lawsuit settlement dollars are used to treat addiction. This should be a given, to use settlements from pharma companies to treat addicts (especially considering that many addicts...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Recession, Poverty, and Substance Abuse Leads to a Drop in Life Expectancy in Great Britain

A headline in the New York Times reads, “Shortchanged: Why British Life Expectancy Has Stalled.” With just a glance at the headline, I was hit with a wave of deja vu. Then I remembered I’d written about this subject before, except in the context...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Abuse Leads to an Increase in Working-Age Deaths

Over the last few years, several articles, research papers, and studies have been published, all of which indicate a decline in life expectancy for the American people. That’s something to be concerned about. In one of the wealthiest, most technologically...