From pill to needle: Prescription opioid epidemic may be increasing drug injection

(University of Southern California) The prescription opioid epidemic is shrinking the time it used to take drug users to progress to drug injection, a new Keck School of Medicine of USC-led study suggests. The study may predict the next national public health threat related to prescription painkiller abuse. 'The prescription opioid epidemic is creating a heroin epidemic, which will create an injection drug use epidemic,' said Ricky Bluthenthal, study lead author.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://ift.tt/2pqrHUo