Big Pharma’s painkillers causing drug abuse epidemics across 80% of U.S. workplaces
by: Jennifer Lea Reynolds
NaturalNews.com
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
According to a survey conducted by the National Safety Council (NSC), a whopping 80 percent of employees in Indiana have felt the effects of prescription drug misuse and abuse. However, it’s not just an Indiana issue, but one that is widespread across the United States. In fact, the president and CEO of the NSC, Deborah Hersman, says, “This is not a local problem; this is a national problem, and it’s very important for employers to understand this is an issue they need to pay attention to and not put their head in the sand.”(1)
Opioids – the prescribed painkillers which millions of Americans are addicted to – are becoming increasingly problematic. Death rates from their addictions have tripled since 2010, and of the $60 billion associated with economic opioid abuse costs, half of that figure is attributed to workplace losses, including diminished productivity.(1)
It also costs health insurers upwards of $72.5 billion annually in direct healthcare costs. Additionally, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says that prescription drug abuse is also linked to bad employee decisions such as embezzlement, and can lead to impairment and on-the-job injury as well.(1)
The problem is so bad, that many hold the belief that prescribed painkillers are even more addictive than illegal drugs, and on par with alcohol abuse.
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