Painkiller Abuse Hits Close To Home For A Majority Of Americans: Poll

(HuffPost, Nov. 24) A new poll finds that 56 percent—more than half—of Americans know someone who has abused prescription drugs or abuses the drugs themselves. The poll, taken by the Henry J. Kaiser Family foundation, found that 25 percent knew a close friend or relative who abused painkillers, while 45 percent knew someone who used the medications without a prescription. Thirty-nine percent knew someone who was addicted. Not only that, the abuse was more common among white, suburban, upper-income households, compared to the crack cocaine and heroin addictions of past decades in urban settings. READ MORE.