Big Pharma Channeled Opioids to Black Market

April 6th, 2017

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

The opioid overdose epidemic in the U.S. killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, which is more than any other year on record, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the opioids referenced include both heroin and prescription opioids, nearly half of overdose deaths involve prescription drugs.1

Prescription opioids such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), morphine and methadone are widely prescribed for pain relief. Initially, they were intended to treat severe pain following surgery or injury or due to illnesses such as cancer. However, they’re now increasingly prescribed for many types of pain, including chronic back pain or pain from osteoarthritis.

Between 1999 and 2015, opioid prescriptions nearly quadrupled in the U.S. despite reported pain levels remaining stagnant. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids similarly quadrupled, killing more than 183,000 Americans. By 2014 nearly 2 million Americans were dependent on or had abused the drugs2 — and the situation is only getting worse, with reports that opioid maker Purdue Pharma knowingly allowed its drugs to be funneled into the black market.

CONTINUE READING:

Recommended articles by Dr. Joseph Mercola:

• How LED Lighting May Compromise Your Health
• Essential Oils Can Help Ease Symptoms of ADHD
• Medical Errors: Still the Third Leading Cause of Death
• Plants Are Smarter Than You Think
• Photobiology: How Therapeutic Use of Full-Spectrum Light Can Improve Your Health
• Scientific Links Between Processed Foods and Depression
• How Sugar Harms Your Brain Health and Drives Alzheimer’s Epidemic
• The Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
• Can a Hug a Day Keep Infection Away?
• The Magic Healing Power of Mushrooms
• Battered Bees and the Threat to Our Food Supply
• The Science of Healing Thoughts
• Life Expectancy Projected to Soar — Except in the U.S.
• Evidence EPA Colluded with Monsanto to Cover-Up Glyphosate/Cancer Link

• FACEBOOK]: http://www.facebook.com/joinwakeupworld (An interactive community of over 3,500,000)

  [PINTEREST]: http://pinterest.com/wakeupword/

  [TWITTER]:  http://twitter.com/joinwakeupworld

  [YOUTUBE]: http://www.youtube.com/joinwakeupworld          

  [GOOGLE PLUS]: https://plus.google.com/112452105795129310867/posts

  [WEBSITE]: http://wakeup-world.com