RT Journal
A1 Kuehn BM
T1 SCientists, officials eye tools aimed at combating abuse of painkillers
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 2012
FD January 4
VO 307
IS 1
SP 19
OP 21
DO 10.1001/jama.2011.1900
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.1900
AB 
About 1.2 million emergency department visits in 2009 were related to misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals, primarily opioid narcotics. That is a 98.4% increase in such events since 2004, noted a CDC report released in November (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60[43]:1487-1492). Such prescription drug–related emergency department visits now outnumber those involving illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine.