INCB Report Finds Prescription Drug Abuse Growing Rapidly
Posted on March 3, 2010It isn’t any surprise that the abuse of prescription drugs is a growing epidemic in the United States. According to a Behavioral Health Central report, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has reported that in some countries it has outpaced the combination of heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.
Melvyn Levitsky, a board member of the INCB, noted the upward trend is most notable in the United States. According to the INCB 2009 annual report, 6.2 million people abused prescription drugs in the United States in 2008 and is second only to the use of cannabis.
A number of high profile celebrity deaths in 2009 has allowed for the heightened awareness of the dangers associated with prescription drug abuse, the report said.
The report also highlighted the abuse of such opioids sold as OxyContin and Vicodin in children and youth. Most people generally view the abuse of prescription dugs as an inappropriate way to treat health problems.
The rise in cannabis use is another worldwide trend, said Levitsky. "What we see is a creeping normalization over the use of cannabis," Levitsky said. "There seems to be a weakening of international will and letting down of controls."
There has also been a rise in the use of date-rape drugs. INCB also sounded the alarm regarding the new psychoactive substances which are increasingly easier to obtain. Levitsky is calling for a better evaluation system in terms of what will work the best.
The report is urging governments to prioritize primary prevention alongside secondary prevention, in which the promotion of non-use of drugs is equally as beneficial.
