Prescription Drugs Are the New Killer

In light of the recent tragic death of Heath Ledger and the controversy surrounding it, not to mention other celebrities’ drug habits being thrust into the media spotlight, prescription pills are a hot topic right now.

By Abby

While reading up on all the latest news, I stumbled across a statistic that I found shocking. According to the Los Angeles Times, accidental poisoning deaths, 95% of which are overdoses, rose sharply from 12,186 in 1999 to 20,950 in 2004. Prescription drugs, which are often casually prescribed and easy to get online, are behind the alarming rise, reports newser.com.

Here’s the kicker:

Overdoses of prescription drugs now kill more people than overdoses of heroin and cocaine combined!

I find that surprising. It seems that people are just now catching onto the hazards of prescription pills and popping one too many, not to mention how they mix with other pills and drugs.

I hope that in the future these scary stats will cause people to be more careful with their habits.