Prescription Drug Abuse
O n March 1, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on “Prescription Drug Diversion: Combating the Scourge.” Witnesses included the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, State officials, and pharmaceutical industry representatives. According to the Subcommittee’s background memo, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that “27,000 unintentional drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States during 2007 — a number that has increased five-fold since 1990.” The memo adds that the deaths have been driven by “an alarming rise in the use of a…
