In 2012, as the death toll from the nation’s opioid crisis mounted, drug companies shipped out enough of the powerful and addictive painkillers for every man, woman and child in the U.S. to have nearly a 20-day supply.
In some counties, mostly in Appalachia, it was well over 100 days.
An Associated Press analysis of drug distribution data released as a result of lawsuits against the industry also found that the amount of opioids as measured by total potency continued to rise early this decade even as the number of pills distributed began to dip.
The reason: Doctors were prescribing — and the industry was supplying — stronger pills.
Source: The Associated Press
Read more at: https://www.apnews.com/4b75785affde443aa50bae8e5331542f
