A newly released Kentucky poll showed 55 percent of the state’s adults
reported being prescribed a pain reliever that could not be bought over
the counter. Of these statewide adults, 67 percent reported that they had been
prescribed the right amount of pills needed to control pain. But about
18 percent believed they had been prescribed more pills than were
needed.
Kentucky ranks sixth in the nation for overdose deaths involving
prescription pain relievers; in 2008, its rate was 17.9 deaths per
100,000 residents. An official said the overdose deaths correspond to a
steep rise in the sale of opioid prescription pain relievers such as
Percocet.
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