Following the death of Michael Jackson, the US Drug Enforcement Administration renewed concerns about rising deaths from misuse of prescription pills.
According to Gil Kerlikowske, director of national drug
control policy, "diversion and abuse of prescription drugs are a threat to
our public health and safety similar to the threat posed by illicit drugs such
as heroin and cocaine. In 2006, the last year for which data are available,
drug-induced deaths in the United States exceeded firearm-injury deaths and
ranked second only to motor vehicle accidents as a cause of accidental death."
In Canada, a report by IMS Health reveals that prescription drug use among Canadians was higher in 2008 than in any previous year. The report assesses pharmaceutical use by tracking the number of prescriptions dispensed by pharmacists annually.
Pharmacists in Canada filled 453 million prescriptions in 2008, up 7.1% over the previous year. That’s an average of nearly 14 prescriptions per citizen.
The aging population is only partly responsible. In an article published in Natural News, Louis Lazaris quotes Canadian health economist Steve Morgan: the aging Canadian population accounts for about 1% of the growth and significant increases are more likely due to the proliferation of new drugs and an increase in marketing efforts.
Quebec stands out in the IMS report as the province with the highest number of prescriptions per capita with an average of 23. The next highest is Newfoundland/Labrador with 14. However, before you conclude that Québec has gone Hollywood with prescription drugs, remember that prescriptions in Québec tend to be of a shorter duration than in all other provinces.
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