Prescription Drug Abuse In The United States

While doing my research I came across an alarming statistic, The United States has 5% of the world’s population and consumes 75% of the world’s prescription drugs. That says a lot about the rate in which drugs are prescribed in the United States. In 2010, enough prescription painkillers were prescribed to medicate every American adult every 4 hours for 1 month. It seems to be the fix all for doctors today. There is a pill that cures almost every aliment one may have, but at what price? Why do we in the U.S. have such a high rate for taking prescription drugs?
According to the CDC antidepressants were the second most commonly prescribed medications, right after drugs to lower cholesterol. About 254 million prescriptions were written for them, resulting in nearly $10 billion in costs. According to NIH every 1 in 10 Americans ages 12 and older report taking an antidepressant
Is it a coincidence, many do not think so. In 2000 a bill was purposed in New York that would require police to report if persons in violent cases where under the influence of prescribed drugs. The bill was as follows: S 837-P. REPORTS OF CERTAIN CRIMES AND SUICIDES COMMITTED BY PERSONS TREATED WITH PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, “PSYCHOTROPIC DRUG” MEANS ANY DRUG THAT AFFECTS MOOD, BEHAVIOR OR PERCEPTION THAT IS PRESCRIBED FOR TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN ANY PERSON INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THOSE PERSONS WHO ARE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCES. It made it past their senate where it died and was reintroduced a year later to only have the same fate. If we have to have background checks for an employment or to purchase certain items why not have a data base that tracks such offences? We have databases for sexual predators, domestic violence and for convicted felons, why not for violent offenders under the influence of mind altering