Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic Infographic Illustrates Issue And How To Help

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May 13, 2013, 03:00 ET

DUBLIN, Ohio, May 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's fastest growing drug epidemic is not on the streets - it's in our medicine cabinets.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130513/CL11987-INFO)

Prescription drug abuse and misuse is an epidemic in our country. A new infographic created by the Cardinal Health Foundation and The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy illustrates this issue and how we can all help by taking the GenerationRx Challenge.

Some key statistics included in the infographic:

Approximately 70 percent of people who abuse prescription medications get them from family or friends, often from medicine cabinets.
On average, more than 10,000 people in the United States abuse prescription medications for the first time each day.
Non-medical use of prescription drugs by college students has doubled since the 1990s.
Every 15 minutes, one American dies from an unintentional drug overdose, most due to prescription drugs. Unintentional drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S.

"America's Biggest Drug Problem" Infographic:

http://bit.ly/GenerationRxInfographic

About the Cardinal Health Foundation
The Cardinal Health Foundation supports local, national and international programs that improve health care efficiency, effectiveness and excellence and the overall wellness of the communities where Cardinal Health's (NYSE: CAH) 30,000 employees live and work. The Cardinal Health Foundation also offers grants to encourage community service among its employees and works through international agencies to donate much-needed medical supplies and funding to those who need them in times of disaster. To learn more, visit www.cardinalhealth.com/community.

SOURCE Cardinal Health