Let's Talk About It with Jenny White/ Opioid Crisis, an Urgent Health Threat

In a report released last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in 2015 the amount of opioids prescribed was enough for every American to be medicated around the clock for three weeks. At least two million people in the U.S. were addicted to prescription opioids in 2015. Drug overdose driven primarily by opioids is now the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States and trends indicate that premature deaths associated with the use of opioids are likely to climb. Nearly 1 in 4 Medicaid patients were prescribed opioids in 2015. 

It seems there's a lack of attention to educating the general public about the risks and benefits of prescription opioids.