September 13, 2010
AG calls prescription drug abuse a scourge
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says prescription drug abuse in America is at epidemic proportions and taming it will take more than law enforcement.
At a Friday conference in Montpelier, Vt., Holder said the U.S. has seen a 400 percent increase from 1998 to 2008 in treatment admissions for people abusing prescription painkillers. Also, he said, new research shows that the number of people trying them for non-medical purposes now exceeds the number of people smoking marijuana for the first time.
To reduce abuse, he said, will require a comprehensive approach of sound regulatory policies, educational outreach, and prevention and drug treatment programs.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
