// Mic
The news: Americans are hooked on pain killers.
The U.S. consumes far more opioid pain relievers, like Percocet and Vicodin, than any other nation. But the problem is far worse in some states than in others. In a strip stretching from Louisiana to Michigan, doctors write between 96 and 143 prescriptions for every 100 people, averaging more than one prescription per person. There's no national policy to govern how doctors should prescribe the drugs, from when to give them out to how many pills to provide and how long the treatment should last.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an early edition of their comprehensive study of the problem on Tuesday. Southern states ranked highest for all individual opioids except hydromorphone, fentanyl and methadone. For those drugs, Vermont, North Dakota and Oregon led the pack.
Why it matters: Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. Read More
