BBC
Abuse of prescription painkiller have reached "epidemic" levels in the US, a government report says.
Overdoses of pain relievers cause more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, the report has found.
It says sales and prescriptions of the drugs rose sharply in recent years and this was linked to the rise in overdoses.
Narcotic painkillers are prescribed to relieve chronic pain but the drugs can be "highly addictive", the report says.
The report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said fatalities caused by narcotic pain relievers have more than tripled in the last 10 years - equivalent to 40 deaths a day...[Full Article]
