General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 46,000 Killed by Heroin Overdose is a LIE [View all]Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)Data from National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and RAND estimate addiction between 600,000 to 1.5 million (2014); all depending on definitions of addiction and survey methods. This dicey range has characterized heroin addiction estimates for years, and falls within the rates estimated for many years. (Note that ONDCP is frequently criticized for it's prohibitionist agenda.). Addiction levels may be spiking some due to the spin-off from opioid over-prescription, but if these addiction rates are half-way acfurate, they are not to far off of modern historical trends.
Caution should be exercised when looking at addiction problems. Like gun-control, the subject is quite politically charged.