Prescription painkiller abuse: Oregon's love affair with Vicodin

Oregonian

By the time you hit 50 in Oregon, you're almost certain to have a half-used bottle of Vicodin or OxyContin in the medicine cabinet. Or maybe a whole row of painkillers paying tribute to your root canal, your back problems, your surgery.

These painkillers work exceedingly well, which is their blessing and curse. Doctors say more Oregonians are becoming dependent on them, both physically and psychologically. The state's fast growth in the rates of fatal overdoses and hospitalizations bolster this assertion. Oregon can do better, namely by adopting more of the best practices used by other states to fight addictions and prescription-drug trafficking while also protecting patients' ability to manage their pain.

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