A Nation of Junkies? Study Eschews Economic Despair Opioid Theory

A Nation of Junkies? Study Eschews Economic Despair Opioid Theory: 
"Why are so many Americans dying of drug overdoses? 
Maybe it’s because we’re a nation of junkies.
At least that seems to be the finding from a new study that flies in the face of the more widespread view that the opioid crisis is the result of a weak economy.
“The fatal overdose epidemic is likely to primarily reflect drug problems rather than the deaths of despair,” states a report published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Death toll rising 
In short, the research says addiction is the reason for the tens of thousands of drug deaths across the across the United States.
Identifying the correct cause or causes of the drug scourge is vital for two reasons.

• First, any solution won't be effective if the diagnosis of the epidemic is incorrect.
• Second, the crisis has grown to a level that beggars belief. In 2016, more than 63,000 people died of drug overdoses, or almost four-fold the 16,849 deaths in 1999..."

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