Prescription Medication Addiction/Abuse and Public Health Consequences
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2021) | Viewed by 2761
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Addictive prescription medications maintain a special status in the general public and are widespread preventable public health problems. Although illicit sources exist, prescription by licit physicians remains the main source of addicting medications. Pharmaceutical companies generate billions of dollars of profit in sales of prescription medications with implicit or explicit cooperation from physicians and healthcare systems.
Of all types of medications, addicting medications lead in sales and number of prescriptions. In the US, the opioid hydrocodone is the most commonly prescribed medication annually. However, its addicting nature produces exceedingly high rates of unnecessary and dangerous use. Similar medications lead in sales internationally, namely oxycodone, benzodiazepines, stimulants, and more recently medical marijuana.
Addictive prescription medications commonly induce psychiatric mental states, suicides, violence, homicides, and medical complications such as lung and heart diseases.
Increased legal access to addicting prescription medications has increased diversion and illicit use, not decreased as expected. Expanded legal access to opioid medications and medical marijuana has increased, not decreased, public health problems.
For this Special Issue, we invite submissions that examine the prevalence, morbidity, mortality, physician and pharmaceutical practices, public health laws and initiatives, and other aspects of addictive prescription drug abuse and addiction.
Dr. Norman S. Miller
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- addiction
- abuse
- prescription medication
- opioids
- marijuana
- public health
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