March 6, 2019
Opioid Addiction Crisis
Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids.1 The misuse of and addiction to opioids – including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids – is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total “economic burden” of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement.
Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Read more at: https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid- overdose-crisis