New data shows rise in US Rx drug abuse deaths and hospitalizations

Gil Kerlikowske, the recently-appointed Director of National Drug Control Policy in the USA, a post known as "the Drug Czar," has  presented a report on the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs at the  National Methamphetamine Pharmaceutical Initiative in Nashville,  Tennessee. The National Prescription Drug Threat Assessment is the  result of pooling information from law enforcement and public health  agencies. The findings indicate a significant rise in accidental  overdoses and hospitalizations due to prescription opioid drugs. In a  recent Wall Street Journal interview, Mr Kerlikowske described the  illegal use of medicines as "one problem I want to shout about."