Persuasive Essay On Prescription Drugs

Each year medically prescribed drugs are responsible for more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, a report by CDC found that each year over 15,000 Americans die by overdosing on prescription drugs. “Prescription overdoses are an epidemic in the U.S.” Dr. Thomas Friedan, director of the CDC. “Most people who die from prescription drug overdose are taking someone else’s medicines”, he says. According to the National Institute on drug abuse, an estimated of 48 million people (aged 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in their lifetimes. People in favor of prescribed drugs usage believe these substances are less harmful than street drugs because they are prescribed by a professional. But this doesn’t change the fact that these drugs are dangerous, highly addicting, and can be obtained in the streets illegally. For this reason the Government has to start applying higher restriction on these drugs, and limit the amount prescribed per person. …show more content…
From 1997 to 2007 the amount of milligrams taken per each person increased from 74mg to 369mg a person. This means medical experts believe giving out more of these drugs is helping their patients when in fact it’s just worsening the problems for patients, by making them think they need to take these drugs in excess. The majority of people begin voluntarily however after continuous use it can become addicting and people begin to experience intense impulse to take more drugs. Another issue with prescribing these medications to their clients without proper precautions can lead to the illegal distribution and the abuse of medically prescribed drugs. About 55% of first time users get their hands on prescription drugs from relatives or someone close to them, which means the problem may initially start at home and later become an addiction for those