Still, fatal heroin overdoses have increased 45 percent from 2006 to 2010, with 3,038 such deaths reported that year, and the numbers are believed to still be on the rise, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The CDC's latest figures show that 16,500 people died from overdoses tied to common narcotic pain relievers — such as Vicodin, OxyContin, Opana and methadone — in 2010.
Holy shit. But surely those numbers are at least increasing at a slower rate than h ... right?
In the past 11 years, deaths from overdose increased more than 400% among women, compared with a 265% rise among men.
So, we'll be nice and say it averages out at 300%.
Why is heroin getting the bad rap over its more deserving prescription cousins?
In the $600 billion worldwide pharmaceutical industry, for every dollar a company spends on "basic research," it puts $19 toward promotion and marketing, according to a report last year by BMJ, a London based medical journal.
I'm sure none of that goes to bribes.
But at least there's no crossover between heroin use and prescription painkiller use.
Many individuals who start out abusing oxycodone turn eventually to heroin as they build up a tolerance to the pain pills and find that they can buy heroin far more cheaply than prescription medications on the black market, experts say.
Yeah, it's the street drugs that are causing your problems.
A record 4.02 billion drug prescriptions were written in the U.S. in 2011, up from 3.99 billion the year before, according to the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
There is no cartel in the world that makes 4 billion individual sales per year.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
"We recognize that this is a powerful drug, but we also believe that if appropriately used, it serves an important and unique niche with respect to pain medication and it meets the standards for safety and efficacy, recognizing its addiction potential and understanding, of course, the broader context of the serious problem of opioid medication abuse and misuse in this country," Hamburg said at a hearing of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Allow me to translate for those of you not fluent in bullshit.
After Hamburg's comments, shares of the San Diego, California-based pharmaceutical company rose more than 5 percent before settling up 3.7 percent at $3.64 in late-morning trade on the Nasdaq.
Zohydro is expected to hit the U.S. market this month after the FDA cleared the painkiller in last year, overruling its panel of outside advisers who recommended against approval, citing safety concerns about the potential for abuse.
Fuck your safety, there's money to be made here.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
A friend of mine was in the clinical trial for Zohydro. It was apparently the most effective treatment she'd ever had for chronic pain. With fewer side effects than other strong pain killers. She was ecstatic when she could finally get a valid prescription for it.
TheCatt wrote:A friend of mine was in the clinical trial for Zohydro. It was apparently the most effective treatment she'd ever had for chronic pain. With fewer side effects than other strong pain killers. She was ecstatic when she could finally get a valid prescription for it.
So, yeah, Malcolm - fuck her.
I'm not saying it's ineffective. I'm saying the response of, "Yeah, we know it'll be abused, but because of some unique properties it has..." being used to justify the legality could be applied to any number of chems.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
I don't think the meds are the problem. Pretty sure the doctors are.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
[quote="TheCatt"][/quote] I'm for letting the people decide with advice of their doctors. Especially when it comes to things like cancer treatment drugs for stage 4 cancer. Never understood why pharm companies couldn't have open trials for anyone that wants to join at that point.
"... and then I was forced to walk the Trail of Tears." - Elizabeth Warren
Med center refuses to prescribe new drug. Even with new shit like this on the market, unfortunately by prescription only.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
TPRJones wrote:Bah, what's a little constant agony for a few unimportant people? This is to protect The Childrens!
I openly question what percentage of prescribed drugs go to use as opposed to abuse. If it's more than half, I'd be shocked. It's also a fairly hypocritical thing for the FDA to approve an insanely powerful opiate when the US Attorney General just got finished bitching about the number of heroin ODs. Then, on top of that, they make the opiate OD antidote available only by prescription.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
I openly question what percentage of prescribed drugs go to use as opposed to abuse.
Meh, I don't really care. Adults should be able to use any drugs they pay for and decide to take. I am not a fan of the whole concept of controlled substances.
Laws designed to protect people from themselves never work and almost always end up hurting more people than they help.
Edited By TPRJones on 1396930664
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
TPRJones wrote:Meh, I don't really care. Adults should be able to use any drugs they pay for and decide to take. I am not a fan of the whole concept of controlled substances.
I pretty much agree with the caveat that it be done after they fix/dismantle the current welfare system.
"... and then I was forced to walk the Trail of Tears." - Elizabeth Warren
Adults should be able to use any drugs they pay for and decide to take.
Not if I foot part of the bill for their ER visits and medical treatment.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Malcolm wrote:Not if I foot part of the bill for their ER visits and medical treatment.
You shouldn't be forced to, no. But even if you are forced to, two wrongs don't make a right and having your liberty violated is never a valid reason to support violating someone else's liberty.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
Malcolm wrote:Not if I foot part of the bill for their ER visits and medical treatment.
You shouldn't be forced to, no. But even if you are forced to, two wrongs don't make a right and having your liberty violated is never a valid reason to support violating someone else's liberty.
Convenient how my pocketbook is made to be the sacrifice in that equation.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Adults should be able to use any drugs they pay for and decide to take.
Not if I foot part of the bill for their ER visits and medical treatment.
And here's the problem.... Malcolm is absolutely right to have an opinion about how other people treat their bodies, since his tax money is used to pay for their healthcare. He paid for the right to have an opinion about it. This was always my main objection to government run healthcare.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Malcolm is absolutely right to have an opinion about how other people treat their bodies, since his tax money is used to pay for their healthcare.
I strongly disagree. Malcolm would be absolutely right to tell the government to fuck off and leave his money alone, although I wouldn't recommend it since it would probably end in jail. But that doesn't give him the right to curtial the liberty of others.
The government is the enemy here. Don't start attacking each other, then you'll let the terrorists in Congress win.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
This is why black market drug industry is superior to the one run above the table.
Don't start attacking each other, then you'll let the terrorists in Congress win.
Fuck that. Someone voted those assholes in. Someone continues to vote them in despite a collective approval rating somewhere between 10-20%. I see-saw back and forth between blaming the politicians for having no job but getting reelected and the vast majority of voters for getting tricked into electing the same ineffective, incompetent thieves every fucking time.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Well, if they've swallowed the "don't waste your vote on third party" bullshit then it's not like they have a choice when the two main candidates are basically the same. Unfortunately way too many people have fallen for that scam.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"