Prescription Drug Abuse: Aggressive Marketing
Aggressive marketing by the pharmaceutical industry successful in profits and addictions.

ROSWELL, GA, September 19, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The ease by which many Americans can get a prescription for powerful pain medications and psychiatric drugs is alarming. The ease is attributed to the fact that there has been a 150% rise in the numbers of prescriptions written as a consequence of intense marketing from the pharmaceutical industry.

In a recent press conference Joseph A. Califano Jr., CASA's director and president said:
"Aggressive marketing of controlled drugs to physicians . . . is designed to increase profits with little regard for abuse potential, Our nation is in the throes of an epidemic of controlled prescription drug abuse and addiction."

More than 15 million Americans abuse controlled substances--double the amount from a decade ago, according to a report issued by National Center on Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). This represents a clear problem for America because there is virtually no increase in drug treatment available.

Of these 15 million Americans prescription drugs are causing more than their share of addictions. The numbers reported by CASA suggest that more people abuse these drugs than those who abuse cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin combined.

Califano said, "I am disturbed that more than 28 percent of pharmacists say they fail to regularly validate the prescribing physician's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number when dispensing controlled substances. Today more people are abusing controlled-prescription drugs than the combined number who abuse cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin."

Mary Rieser is the Executive Director of Narconon of Georgia a drug rehabilitation and education facility located in Norcross Georgia. In a recent interview Ms. Rieser describes the recent rise in admissions for prescription drug abuse:

"We have seen many people come for drug rehab treatment that are addicted to prescription drugs, because they have a high potential for abuse and addiction. When a person first starts taking a drug, they may only feel sleepy or uncoordinated. But then the body becomes accustomed to the effects of the drug, and these feelings begin to dissipate."

Used long term, the body develops tolerance for the drug. Then larger and larger doses are needed to achieve the same initial effects, likely leading to drug addiction.

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Gordon Weinand
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