It is not uncommon for a Connecticut resident to receive a prescription for pain medication from a doctor or a dentist. Whether a major surgery to remove a tumor or a root canal, many procedures leave people in need of pain relief. Other conditions find patients struggling with chronic pain that must be managed. In recent years, a growing reliance on opioid medications originally designed to manage pain has allegedly led to another problem – drug addiction.
In a recent edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine, findings from a National Survey on Drug Use and Health were published. These results stated that nearly two million people identify themselves as being addicted to opioids. Another 11.5 million people are estimated to have incorrectly or illegally used opioid drugs. By this, the survey means that people either took the drugs with the intention of getting high, took more of a drug than was prescribed to them or took the drugs without having a valid prescription.
The volume of people who have access to these prescription medications without actual prescriptions points to a root problem associated with a poor prescribing process and philosophy. This is one point where many experts are calling for change. Citing the increase in deaths associated with opioids, people are looking for help to combat the growing addiction problem that also may be associated with drug crimes.
After a drug-related arrest, people in Connecticut might want to get a consultation with an attorney to discuss their full defense options.
Source: CBS News, “More than 1 in 3 Americans prescribed opioids in 2015,” Dennis Thompson, August 1, 2017
