Prescription Addictions, Crimes, & Inmates

No one denies that drug abuse has contributed heavily to our mass incarceration crisis. The United States has about 25% of the world’s inmates, but only 5% of the world’s population. During the period from 1993 to 2011, there were three million admissions into federal and state prisons for drug offenses. This statistic does not include non-drug charges caused indirectly from addictions.

When the public hears drug addictions, they think of cocaine, heroin, etc. We do not usually think of prescription addictions. The public becomes aware of the prescription crisis with recurring news stories that another celebrity has died from a prescription overdose or has entered a drug treatment center for prescription addiction. Recently, the problem was highlighted with reports that Prince was allegedly going to meet with a doctor before his tragic death to discuss treatment for an addiction to prescription painkillers.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, several national surveys revealed that prescription medications, such as those used to treat pain, attention deficit disorders, and anxiety, are being abused by more and more Americans. This growing abuse has resulted in increased treatment admissions, emergency room visits, and overdose deaths.

Prescription addictions has increased the number of inmates. Individuals have stolen prescription drugs from friends-family, faked illnesses, stolen prescription pads ( forged doctor signatures), have committed theft to obtain money for expensive painkillers, and other offenses.

When the public hears drug offenses, they think of cocaine, heroin, etc. However, Americans have a major problem with prescription addictions. The public has become aware of the prescription crisis with recurring news stories that another celebrity has died from a prescription overdose or has entered a drug treatment center for prescription addiction. Recently, the problem was highlighted with reports that Prince was allegedly going to meet with a doctor to discuss treatment for an addiction to prescription painkillers.

Common prescription addictions have resulted from the abuse of narcotic painkillers ( i.e. Percocet), central nervous system depressants ( i.e. Xanax, Valium, Ambien), and stimulants (Adderall, Ritalin).

It was reported in 2009 that 16 million Americans, from ages 12 and up, had taken some type of prescriptive medication. It is time to acknowledge and control this growing epidemic–addiction prescriptions.

Sponsored by:
WINR, Women in New Recovery–Our drug treatment center is a female only environment. Women tend to abuse drugs and alcohol for different reasons than men. Finding a program that recognizes these differences and addresses specifically how you handle addiction can ensure the maximum effectiveness of your treatment. For additional information, click WINR.

By: Bradley Schwartz
Founder of prisonpath.com