from journal PLOS ONE
As horrible as the opioid drug problem is in this country, it is likely worse. A study from the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University suggests that while the drug epidemic is a major American disaster, it is only part of the picture. Deaths classified as drug-related were nine percent in the year studied. However, the study calculated the drug-associated deaths are more than double that. It is beyond overdoses. The researchers wrote in the journal PLOS ONE that drugs kill in other ways, such as perpetual drug use related to chronic diseases. This study does not diminish the tragedy of the opioid drug epidemic. Instead, it calls attention to the insidious reality that dangers lurk in places we may not be aware of.