Nearly four in 10 people – 39% – know someone who has been addicted to prescription painkillers, including 25% who say it was a close friend or family member and 2% who acknowledge their own addiction, according to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. According to the poll, 6% said they had taken a prescription painkiller that was not prescribed to them, 16% reported knowing a person who died from an overdose of pain medication, and 9% said they had lost a relative or good friend to an overdose. According to the poll, whites are more likely than blacks or Hispanics to report a personal connection to prescription painkillers. Large majorities say a number of efforts would be effective in reducing painkiller abuse, including treatment programs, 85%, monitoring doctors’ prescribing habits, 82%, public education programs, 80%, training doctors, 79%, and encouraging people to appropriately dispose of leftover medication, 69%.

Related News Articles

Chairperson's File
Public
Although hospitals and health systems are facing many pressures and challenges, now is the time to truly transform how we care for our patients and communities…
Headline
President Trump, late Sept. 25, announced that starting Oct. 1, the U.S. will impose a 100% tariff on any branded or patented pharmaceutical product, unless a…
Headline
States have until Sept. 30 to submit an optional letter of intent to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicating they plan to apply to the…
Headline
The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation has recognized 60 licensure boards and 1,850 hospitals, health systems and other care facilities for changing invasive…
Perspective
Public
More than 48 million Americans — 16.8% of the 12-and-older population — have a substance use disorder (SUD), according to the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use…
Headline
Ashley Thompson, AHA senior vice president of public policy analysis and development, participated in a panel discussion during Modern Healthcare's Leadership…