STATISTICS & TRENDS

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Current Data on the Addiction Treatment Gap in America

What is the addiction treatment gap? And how can this gap be closed?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Statewide Marijuana Legalization Leads to Harmful Use Patterns Among Young Adults

More young adults are using marijuana after states legalize and the fact that marijuana is quite harmful to people in their late teens and early 20s is a very real problem that’s made worse by continued legalization.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Decriminalization Not a Silver Bullet For Americans

With Oregon being the first state to decriminalize all drugs, it’s time to look at how decriminalization can—or can’t—be done in a way that does NOT increase deaths resulting from drug abuse.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Are We Doing Enough to Eliminate Drug Overdose Deaths?

If three Boeing 737 planes crashed every week from 1999 to the present, the entire country would sit up and take notice. Drastic actions would be taken to prevent further crashes. But that’s how many people we’ve lost to overdoses and our efforts seem...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

U.S. States Request $2.2 TRILLION Compensation from Purdue to Address Opioid Harm

Forty-seven U.S. States have filed lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, requesting a total of $2.2 trillion dollars as compensation for Purdue’s contributions to the opioid epidemic. Is this a fair number?

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

Stimulant Addiction Now Leading to More Overdose Deaths

Every year in the United States, tens of thousands of Americans die from drug overdoses. While most of those deaths are caused by opioid overdoses, meth and cocaine abuse have led to increasing casualties over the years.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Canada’s Addiction Crisis Mirrors Closest Neighbor

For a review of the opiate addiction crisis, most people instantly think of and look to the United States. But in many ways, Canada, the neighbor to the north, has had an almost identical opioid crisis. What can be learned from it? And what might be done...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Scope of Alcohol Abuse in Ireland

What is the scope of alcohol abuse in the Republic of Ireland? What has led this island nation of just under 5 million people to have one of the highest rates of per capita alcohol misuse in all of Europe?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Hidden Catastrophe That is America’s Drug Overdose Deaths

It’s possible while our attention has been riveted elsewhere, our drug overdose deaths are escalating out of control. This isn’t a problem we can ignore for long. Or at all.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Alcohol Consumption Trends During COVID-19

What effect has the COVID-19 pandemic had on alcohol misuse?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Scotland’s Drug Fatality Rate

Despite sincere efforts on the part of the Scottish government and its people, over 1,000 Scots still die every year from drug overdoses. Why is the death rate so high? And what might be done to bring the death toll down?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

The Scope of Addiction in Europe

International news media often focuses on the drug problem in North America. But what about the drug problem in Europe? IS there a drug problem in Europe? And if so, what are European countries doing to address the crisis? What do they need to do more?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

More States Move to Legalize Cannabis

The Presidential race was not the only attention-grabbing aspect of the November 2020 election. In an historic move, several states, even red states, moved to legalize cannabis for recreational use. What does this mean for the health of those states' populations?...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Opiate Addiction in the United Kingdom

What is the scope of opiate addiction? Reports indicate that more UK residents are using opioid pain relievers, but has that led to an increase in addiction?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Pharma Giant Hit with Criminal Charges and $8 Billion Lawsuit

It matters how businesses make their money. For Purdue Pharma, this multi-billion dollar corporation is being shut down due to the deaths caused by its frontline product, OxyContin. But is shutting the company down enough?

STATISTICS & TRENDS

What Legalizing Drugs Will Do to Perceived Risk and Young Adult Drug Use

Oregon’s recent legalization of psychedelics for medicinal use raises many questions about the sense (or lack thereof) in legalizing mind-altering drugs, even for medicinal purposes.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Oregon Decriminalizes Drugs—What This Means for the Future

In an effort to keep addicts out of jail, Oregon just voted to decriminalize possession of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone, and other hard drugs. However, many criticize the law for legalizing harmful substances.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

One Percent of Doctors Responsible for 25 Percent of Opiate Prescriptions

Overprescribing of opioid pain relievers is a serious issue. However, it's a relatively small group of physicians that are culpable in this. The majority of doctors are doing their best to treat their patients properly. It's just a few of them that are...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Has Germany Avoided the Opioid Epidemic?

By many accounts, Germany has managed to escape the brunt of the opioid addiction crisis that is causing untold problems across much of the western world. Did they merely buy time? Or is this something other countries can learn from?