Re "Living up to their name, painkillers are placing too many victims in the morgue" (Editorials, Nov. 25) As a child of a prescription-abusing parent, I understand the seriousness of the increased use and dangers of prescribed painkillers.
It is too easy to get a hold of them. I've seen from personal experience how easily anyone can go to doctors, complain about pain, and get prescribed these heavy drugs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription painkiller overdoses killed nearly 15,000 people in the United States in 2008. This is more than three times the 4,000 people killed in 1999.
Although there has been a major increase in the distribution of these drugs, there have been next to no safety measures. It is not only the doctors at fault but, the users and health care providers as well. This will continue to grow unless society works to bring awareness to the issue.
-- Cassandra May, Rocklin
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