WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – A new study released on Thursday shows a 400 percent increase in substance abuse treatment admissions for prescription drugs, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced.

The study, entitled Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Involving Abuse of Pain Relievers: 1998-2009, was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 400 percent increase indicated in the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) reflected the amount of those over 12 years old that reportedly abused prescription pain relievers between 1998 and 2008.

“The TEDS data released today highlights how serious a threat to public health we face from the abuse of prescription drugs. The spikes in prescription drug abuse rates captured by this study are dramatic, pervasive, and deeply disturbing,” said Gil Kerlikowske, ONDCP Director.

“Our national prescription drug abuse problem cannot be ignored,” said Thomas McLellan, Deputy Director of ONDCP. “We must work with prescribers, the pharmaceutical industry, law enforcement, and families to help us fight this scourge.”

“This public health threat demands that we follow the President’s National Drug Control Strategy’s call for an all-out effort to raise awareness of this risk and the critical importance of properly using, storing, and disposing of these powerful drugs,” remarked SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde.

The National Drug Control Strategy was released in May. It contains several steps to eradicate the fastest-growing drug problem in the U.S., the prescription drug abuse. The main focus of the strategy lies in regulating and monitoring the prescription of such drugs as well as bringing down illegal pharmacies and rogue pain clinics.

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