Prescription drugs are eroding lives around the country. Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics director John Dowdy says the perception of the drugs is what’s fueling the epidemic.
“We’re seeing an uptick of instances involving youth. These often will come from them going to mom’s medicine cabinet, or grandma’s medicine cabinet,” Dowdy said.
According to the MBN, four out of five people who get hooked on prescription painkillers will turn to heroine, both for the cost-effectiveness of the high, as well as the extra kick.
The danger is real: in the month of March 2017 alone, 90 percent of overdose cases opened by the MBN were linked to prescription opiates and/or heroine.
Director Dowdy advises anyone who is prescribed pain medication to keep a close eye on their pills.
News Mississippi will have more on the Governor’s special opioid task force as they continue to fight the scourge of prescription drug abuse in the state.
