Opioid overdose deaths have risen dramatically in the United States over the past two decades. The standard explanation blames excessive prescribing by physicians and aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies, beginning in the 1990s.
This explanation — "more prescribing, more deaths” — has spurred increased legal restrictions on opioid prescribing. Most states now have Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (electronic prescription databases that attempt to reduce doctor shopping), and many states cap prescription doses. The federal government limits opioid production and raids pain management facilities deemed to be overprescribing. In October, the federal government enacted legislation that increases monitoring of prescribers and funds hospitals that attempt to reduce prescribing. Supporters believe these restrictions will reduce the supply of prescription opioids and thereby decrease overdose deaths.
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