USA - America: Consuming 80% of the Worlds global Opioid Supply

[chillinwill]

Therapeutic opioid use and abuse coupled with the nonmedical use of other psychotherapeutic drugs has shown an explosive growth in recent years and has been a topic of great concern and controversy.

Americans, constituting only 4.6% of the world’s population, have been consuming 80% of the global opioid supply, and 99% of the global hydrocodone supply, as well as two-thirds of the world’s illegal drugs.

With the increasing therapeutic use of opioids, the supply and retail sales of opioids are mirrored by increasing abuse in patients receiving opioids, nonmedical use of other psychotherapeutic drugs (in this article the category of psychotherapeutics includes pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives, but does not include over-the-counter drugs), emergency department visits for prescription controlled drugs, exploding costs, increasing incidence of side effects, and unintentional deaths. However, all these ills of illicit drug use and opioid use, abuse, and non-medical use do not stop with adults.

It has been shown that 80% of America’s high school students, or 11 million teens, and 44% of middle school students, or 5 million teens, have personally witnessed, on the grounds of their schools, illegal drug use, illegal drug dealing, illegal drug possession, and other activities related to drug abuse.

The results of the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that 7.0 million or 2.8% of all persons aged 12 or older had used prescription type psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically in the past month, 16.387 million, or 6.6% of the population, had used in the past year, and 20.3%, or almost 49.8 million, had used prescription psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically during their lifetime. Sadly, the initiates of psychotherapeutic drugs used for nonmedical purposes were highest for opioids.

Therapeutic opioid use has increased substantially, specifically of Schedule II drugs. Apart from lack of effectiveness (except for short-term, acute pain) there are multiple adverse consequences including hormonal and immune system effects, abuse and addiction, tolerance, and hyperalgesia. Patients on long-term opioid use have been shown to increase the overall cost of healthcare, disability, rates of surgery, and late opioid use.

Pain Physician 2008; Opioid Special Issue: 11:S63-S88
Pain Management Center of Paducah, KY; and 2Pain Diagnostic Associates, Niagara, WI

Dr. Manchikanti is Medical Director of the Pain Management Center of Paducah, Paducah, KY, and Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY. Ms. Singh is Research Assistant, Pain Diagnostic Associates, Niagara, WI.

Address correspondence:
Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD
2831 Lone Oak Road
Paducah, Kentucky 42003
E-mail: drlm@thepainmd.com
Disclaimer: There was no external
funding in the preparation of this
manuscript.
Conflict of interest: None.
Free full manuscript:
www.painphysicianjournal.com

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Reputation Comments on this post:

good post

[fiveleggedrat]

Why the fuck is PCP even on this chart? Who DOES PCP anymore? Who even MAKES it anymore? I thought the whole world figured out PCP was psychosadistic garbage.

Anywho, thanks for sharing. I think it's hilarious we have the world's biggest consumption rates but some of the most retarded drug laws around, and backwards views. Just shows prohibition does not work.

So 783,000 people did inhalants in 2006? What the hell, are we STILL that stupid in the world? Have the dangers of inhalants not been made clear?! Clearly, we need more education on the dangers of inhalant abuse; no wonder McCain even had chance to become president; all the republican anti-drug kids were huffing gas because it wasn't a "dirty illegal drug".

[Pondlife]

Originally Posted by fiveleggedrat

So 783,000 people did inhalants in 2006? What the hell, are we STILL that stupid in the world? Have the dangers of inhalants not been made clear?!

I've seen nitrous and poppers classed as "inhalants" before. If that's the case here it might account for the higher than expected number.

[tryptamaster]

well as an american swim is damn proud to be the largest conusme rof opiods.lol jk guys, but swim thinks in the U.S. marijuana rates are muhc hgher than mentioned there. also, wtf was with that pcp? ud think theyd have like, shrooms on there cuz tier use rate is wayyyyyyyyy above pcp.

[cra$h]

what are some of the psychotheropudics? I always thought the main abused pills were opiates and benzo's. Is this like dxm and shit?

[fiveleggedrat]

No, OTC products were omitted from the study thingy.

As for nitrous/poppers, poppers aren't even legal in the US, and nitrous, seriously, how many people use that? Swim does, but most people Swim met never even knew about it, or thought it was dangerous.

[tryptamaster]

dude in swims are nitrous is very well known and many dealers in fact of thier own crackers. whippets are purchased online and are totally legal as long as they are intdned for th purpose of making whipped cream. many here use nitrous once in a while or to bump up the high if another drug.

[PsychoActivist]

I'm surprised no Euros have come in here and been like "Jesus Fucking Christ, Save some for us you greedy American bastards!" lol.

[fiveleggedrat]

Swim definately loves nitrous, an amazing substance and worth it.

The only person Swim knew to do nitrous worked at a Starbucks and would take hits directly out of the canister/charger thing on his break in his car, hahaha. Free nitrous, shit, Swim needs to work there!

Yeah, nitrous is unknown in the Central Florida area.

[dyingtomorrow]

Originally Posted by fiveleggedrat

Swim definately loves nitrous, an amazing substance and worth it.

The only person Swim knew to do nitrous worked at a Starbucks and would take hits directly out of the canister/charger thing on his break in his car, hahaha. Free nitrous, shit, Swim needs to work there!

Yeah, nitrous is unknown in the Central Florida area.

SWIM LOVES nitrous. Hasn't had any in a long while though. So much fun to put your favorite music on and hear it huffing a balloon. SWIM actually found his cracker this afternoon after not seeing it for 6 months - weird coincidence.

[Euphoric]

They consume the most, and they destroy a hell of a lot of it in Afghanistan...

[drug-bot]

Originally Posted by Euphoric

They consume the most, and they destroy a hell of a lot of it in Afghanistan...

most illicit opiates (ie. heroin) in the usa comes from south america, at least all the powdered heroin4, the black tar heroin comes in from mexico.the majority of afgani heroin is headed for europe.

[superdupernaut]

I wonder how that 80% figure is based, on effective doses, raw tonnage, or what.

I live in the backwoods state of Montana, and opiate prices are outrageously high. Seeing how we already burn through 80% of the worlds stock, what we really need to do is increase production.