Four In Ten Americans Knows Someone Addicted To Opioids, Survey Finds.

The Washington Post (11/24, Bernstein) reports that nearly four in 10 Americans “know someone who has been addicted to prescription painkillers, including 25 percent who say it was a close friend or family member and 2 percent who acknowledge their own addiction, according to a new poll” released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The survey also found that 16 percent of people say they know someone who has died from an opioid overdose. The Post adds that by “a margin of 77 percent to 58 percent, those polled say it is easy to get non-prescribed painkillers than say it is easy for people who medically need the drugs to get them.”

        Bloomberg News (11/24, Tozzi) reports that the demographics of those “touched by the crisis skew white, higher-income, college-educated, younger, and male.” According to the article, drug overdoses “are eclipsing car crashes as a leading cause of accidental death for American adults.”

        Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, writes on the Wall Street Journal (11/24) “Washington Wire” blog that the broad impact of opioid addiction means the issue will likely gain more political traction.