Drug Overdose Deaths Surge 7 Percent in US

(NBC News, Dec. 10) New statistics show that drug overdoses continue to rise in 2014 in the US, up seven percent from the previous year. Much of the rise is due to surges in heroin and prescription painkilller overdoses. More than 47,000 died from drug overdose in 2014. Prescription drug abuse has been on the government's radar as a major cause of overdose, though CDC officials say that some of statistical rise is due to illegally-made fentanyl, a potent painkiller that has been responsible for a number of deaths and mixed with heroin. READ MORE.